Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can help - we are currently reviewing our fire/emergency testing requirements to give our Facilities Managers a definitive answer as to what they should be testing and when. As part of this I'm looking at emergency lighting and having looked through the relevant British Standards there seems to be a discrepancy. BS 5266 -8:2004 requires a daily visual inspection, monthly test/inspection while simulating a failure of the electricity supply and an annual test of the full duration of the lights. However BS 9999:2008 requires a six monthly test/inspection in addition to these. Does anyone know which of these should take precedence?

Thank you

Kristel,

The DCLG Guidance Document on Fire Risk Assessment gives a good overview on the different types of 'emergency' lighting. The type fitted will have a bearing on how and when you carry out a test which is usuallywhat is recommended as routine maintenance by the installer. This may include full battery discharge testing. Most buildings of any size are usually fitted and retrofitted with various systems meeting standards and requirements relevant at the time, so they may not all be the same type. You may also need to look at BS5266-1 which covers general emergency lighting which is not quite the same as emergency escape lighting but may form an aspect of it.
Hope above is useful without teaching you to suck eggs as I do not know what type of industry/property you are working in.

Regards