An emergency lighting certificate is the written record required by BS 5266-1 (the code of practice for emergency lighting of premises) that the system has been designed, installed and verified to the standard, or, for an existing system, that it has been inspected and tested. There are two main certificates: the completion certificate issued when a new or altered system is commissioned, and the periodic inspection and test certificate issued after the annual full-duration test. Between those, BS 5266-1 and BS EN 50172 require a monthly functional test of every luminaire and an annual test for the rated duration, usually 3 hours, with every result entered in a logbook kept on the premises.
- Two certificates matter: the completion certificate for a new or altered installation, and the periodic inspection and test certificate for the annual test.
- Routine testing is monthly (short functional test, every luminaire) and annual (full rated duration, normally 3 hours), all recorded in the logbook.
- The responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 carries the legal duty to maintain the system; the person who tests and signs must be competent.
- Emergency lighting is outside the scope of an EICR. The EICR records the circuit, not the emergency function, and should recommend a separate BS 5266-1 inspection.
- Testing self-contained fittings drains their batteries; schedule the annual test so the building is not left without cover while they recharge.
What is emergency lighting and when is it required?
Emergency escape lighting is lighting that operates automatically when the normal supply fails, so that people can see to leave a building safely and fire-fighting and safety equipment can be found. It covers escape route lighting, open area (anti-panic) lighting, high-risk task area lighting and illuminated exit signs.
The legal requirement in England and Wales comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires the responsible person for non-domestic premises and the common parts of blocks of flats to provide emergency lighting on escape routes where needed and to maintain it in an efficient state and good repair. Scotland and Northern Ireland have parallel duties under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 add a duty to provide emergency lighting where workers would be exposed to danger if the artificial lighting failed, and larger houses in multiple occupation commonly need it as a licensing condition. BS 5266-1 tells you how to meet those duties.
Which standards apply?
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| BS 5266-1:2016 | Code of practice for emergency lighting of premises: design, installation, wiring, commissioning, certificates and maintenance |
| BS EN 1838 | Lighting requirements: illuminance levels, uniformity and response times for escape routes, open areas and high-risk task areas |
| BS EN 50172 (also published as BS 5266-8) | Emergency escape lighting systems: system requirements, routine testing schedule and records |
| BS EN 62034 | Automatic test systems for battery-powered emergency lighting |
The certificates and the logbook come from BS 5266-1; the test intervals come from BS EN 50172 and are repeated in BS 5266-1.
What certificates does BS 5266-1 require?
BS 5266-1 sets out model certificates in its annexes, and the industry uses them or equivalent forms.
| Certificate | When issued | What it declares |
|---|---|---|
| Completion certificate (design, installation and verification) | New installation, or an alteration or extension to an existing one | The design meets BS 5266-1 and BS EN 1838 for the risk assessment provided; the installation matches the design and is wired correctly; the system has been verified by inspection and test, including a full-duration test |
| Periodic inspection and test certificate | After the annual full-duration test and inspection | The system was inspected, every luminaire tested for the rated duration, defects listed with recommended action, and the logbook updated |
| Declaration of conformity for small installations | Small, simple installations where design, installation and verification are by one contractor | Combined declaration of the above |
The completion certificate has separate signature blocks for the designer, the installer and the verifier. On a small job one electrician may complete all three; on a larger project the consulting engineer signs the design, the contractor the installation and a commissioning engineer the verification, each declaring only their part. Attach the drawings showing luminaire positions, the luminaire schedule and the test results. The periodic certificate includes a schedule of luminaires tested, the duration achieved, failures, and observations such as changed layouts that mean the design no longer meets BS EN 1838, and states whether the system is fit for continued use.
What routine testing is required?
BS EN 50172 and BS 5266-1 set the following schedule. The tests apply to self-contained luminaires, central battery systems and automatic test systems alike; what changes is who or what performs them.
| Test | Frequency | What is done | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual check of indicators | Daily (central battery systems only) | Confirm the central battery charger and system indicators show healthy | Logbook, if a fault is found |
| Functional test | Monthly | Simulate a supply failure for long enough to confirm every luminaire and exit sign operates, then restore supply and confirm charging indicators | Logbook |
| Full duration test | Annually | Simulate a supply failure for the full rated duration (normally 3 hours), confirm every luminaire still illuminates at the end, restore supply and confirm recharge | Logbook and periodic inspection and test certificate |
The monthly functional test only needs to be long enough to see each fitting light. A supply failure is simulated with the test key switch or fish key on the emergency lighting circuit, or by isolating the circuit at the board; key switches exist so the normal lighting does not have to be switched off with the building occupied.
The annual test is the demanding one. Every luminaire must run for its rated duration, 3 hours in most premises, and still be giving light at the end. BS 5266-1 permits a 1-hour duration only in limited cases, essentially small premises that will be evacuated immediately on supply failure and not reoccupied until the batteries have recharged. After the test the batteries take up to 24 hours to recharge, so BS 5266-1 advises testing at a time of low risk, typically outside occupied hours, or testing alternate luminaires on different occasions so cover is never fully lost.
Automatic test systems to BS EN 62034 perform the tests on a programme and log the results, but a competent person must still review the results, investigate failures and complete the annual certificate.
What goes in the emergency lighting logbook?
BS 5266-1 requires a logbook to be kept on the premises and made available to the fire and rescue authority and the fire risk assessor. It holds the completion certificate; a record of each monthly and annual test with the date, the luminaires tested and the result; defects found and action taken; alterations to the system; and the periodic certificates. A luminaire schedule with reference numbers is essential, otherwise "3 fittings failed" is meaningless a year later.
Who signs an emergency lighting certificate?
BS 5266-1 requires the work to be carried out and certified by competent persons: someone with the training, knowledge and experience for the design, installation or testing concerned. There is no statutory registration for emergency lighting in the way that Part P schemes cover domestic electrical work, although trade schemes such as BAFE SP203-4 and the NICEIC and NAPIT emergency lighting registrations exist and are increasingly asked for by insurers. An electrician who installs a system signs the installation section and, if competent to verify to BS EN 1838, the verification section; a fire consultant who produced the design signs that section. Whoever signs, the legal duty to maintain the system stays with the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order; a certificate is evidence they have discharged it, not a transfer of it.
What should an electrician doing an EICR note about emergency lighting?
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) reports on the condition of the fixed electrical installation against BS 7671; it does not assess whether an emergency lighting system meets BS 5266-1. Clients regularly assume the EICR "covers the fire stuff". It does not, and the report should say so.
What the EICR does cover is the circuit supplying the emergency luminaires: the protective device, cable, continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and any RCD, exactly as for any other lighting circuit (/guides/how-to-do-an-eicr-step-by-step). Practical points:
- Record the exclusion. In the extent and limitations write something like: "Emergency lighting function, duration and illuminance not tested; outside the scope of BS 7671. Recommend inspection and test to BS 5266-1 by a competent person." Wording guidance is in EICR Sampling and Limitations Explained: Extent, LIM and N/V.
- Isolating the circuit starts the emergency lighting. Self-contained fittings switch to battery the moment you isolate for dead testing. Keep the isolation short, warn the client that the fittings will be recharging afterwards, and never leave a building overnight with the circuit off.
- Insulation resistance. Test with line and neutral connected together to earth at 500 V so the control gear in the fittings is not stressed, or disconnect the fittings if the manufacturer requires it (/guides/insulation-resistance-testing-guide).
- Observations still count. Damaged luminaires, unlabelled test switches and fittings with the charging indicator out are all visible during the inspection. Record them with a code where they are a BS 7671 matter, or as a comment with a recommendation where they are a BS 5266-1 matter. A dead charging LED is not a BS 7671 defect, but the client needs to know.
- Check the logbook if it is offered. If there is no logbook or the last annual test is years old, say so in the recommendations; it is the most useful thing you can tell a facilities manager.
BS 7671 does bear on how the circuit is wired: Chapter 56 sets requirements for safety services, including segregation of the supply and fire-resistant cables for central battery systems. What it does not do is tell you whether the light on the stair is 1 lux at floor level after 3 hours. That is BS 5266-1's job.
How does emergency lighting relate to commercial EICR intervals?
Guidance Note 3 lists emergency lighting with a recommended 3-year maximum period between periodic inspections of the fixed wiring, alongside the annual BS 5266-1 test of the system itself. On a typical commercial site the 5-yearly EICR, the annual emergency lighting certificate and the annual fire alarm service run on separate cycles; see EICR for Commercial Premises: Intervals, Duties and Defects and How Often Is an EICR Required? Intervals by Property Type.
How Certio helps
Certio produces the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records on the BS 7671 model forms and turns them into branded PDFs. Photograph the consumer unit and the circuit schedule drafts itself; point the phone camera at a Megger MFT-X1 and the reading goes straight into the schedule of test results, or dictate it while your hands stay on the probes. Suggested observation wording with the regulation reference is there for you to check and confirm. The judgement stays yours; the typing goes. Starter is free for 7 days, then £5 a month.