Compliance & enforcement
Emergency lighting failing its test — causes and remedies
Escape route lighting is dead, flickering or failing its duration test.
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Short answer
Most emergency lighting failures are battery-related. Cells have a finite life and lose capacity gradually, so a fitting can pass a monthly flick test and still fail the annual full-duration test.
The test regime
A brief monthly function test confirms each luminaire illuminates when the supply is removed. An annual test runs the fittings for their full rated duration — normally three hours — and confirms they are still bright at the end and recharge afterwards. The annual test is the one that finds tired batteries.
Why a fitting fails
- Battery pack at end of life, holding minutes instead of hours.
- Charge circuit failure, indicated by an unlit or flashing status LED.
- Lamp or LED module failure in an otherwise healthy fitting.
- The circuit being isolated during other electrical work and never restored.
- Fittings removed during a refit and not replaced.
Coverage, not just function
Working fittings in the wrong places still leave a dark escape route. Coverage should address changes of direction, stair flights, final exits, intersections, fire equipment points and any external area you need people to reach. A refit that moves walls almost always changes the required coverage.
Recording it
Results of both the monthly and annual tests belong in the log book, along with any remedial work. That record is routinely requested alongside the alarm and extinguisher paperwork.
Questions we get asked about this
How long must emergency lighting stay on?
Three hours is the standard duration for most premises; one hour is used in limited circumstances where the building can be fully evacuated and not reoccupied.
Can I do the monthly test myself?
Yes — it is a short function test, typically using a test key switch. The annual duration test is better handled as part of a scheduled visit.
Do you check emergency lighting during an assessment?
A fire risk assessment records whether the provision looks adequate and maintained; the formal testing is a separate scheduled task we can carry out.
Failed a duration test? We will test the whole installation and price the fittings that actually need work.
Other common fire safety problems
Fire alarms
Fire alarm keeps beeping — what the sound is telling you
Fire alarms
Repeated false alarms — finding the cause instead of living with it
Fire alarms
Amber fault light on the fire alarm panel — how to read it
Fire doors
Fire door gaps that are too big — tolerances and remedies
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