Emergency Lighting Tests
If you own a commercial property for your business, emergency lighting is an essential safety measure throughout the building. No matter if an office building, leisure facility or manufacturing warehouse, your emergency lighting will need to meet requirements set out in BS 5266:2016 that stipulate the need for buildings to contain adequate lighting procedures whenever mains power fails. Emergency lighting provision is also highlighted by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Building Regulations 2000, the Workplace Directive 89/654 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – which means it is taken very seriously by every regulatory body. With so much emphasis on emergency lighting by many regulatory bodies, how often should you be emergency light testing to meet legal obligations and ensure safety within your workplace?
Four Main Requirements
Emergency lighting provides illumination following any sudden power failure or an emergency, such as a breakout fire within your building.
There are four main areas regarding testing your emergency lighting setup – the charge function, lamp operation, battery capacity and checking operation for a full three-hour duration. These tests are typically done every month by a responsible person within your workforce. These are typically short-form tests to ensure that your emergency lighting is operational, making detailed notes regarding any units that are not operational or require any cleaning or maintenance.
Annual emergency electrical breakdown services and light testing requires a professional technician from AMS Solutions to test your entire system for the full-duration and pair all testing with your building’s fire alarms.
How to Conduct Emergency Lighting Tests
When you have a responsible person on your workforce for conducting your monthly emergency lighting checks, they would have a few key responsibilities.
The first would be inserting the device key (typically fish-shaped) into the emergency test unit, setting a timer if applicable for functional, ten-minute or three-hour tests and checking all emergency lights fully-illuminate. They will also be responsible for turning off the emergency lighting unit, checking that the lights are charging via the small, internal LED light and recording any results pulled from the test. This individual will also be responsible for taking action on any cleaning and maintenance of the system as required.
If any issues flag with your system from these checks, call a professional facilities management in Manchester to diagnose and remedy the problem to ensure you remain covered.
At AMS Solutions, we help to keep your systems working and your facilities managed – including an emergency lighting and commercial fire alarm maintenance. Contact our friendly team today to discuss your emergency lighting needs and power services – whether it involves installation or maintenance services.
