What the test involves
The 6-monthly test isolates the normal supply and runs every emergency and exit fitting on battery for 90 minutes. A fitting that goes dark early has a failed battery, and a battery is the one thing you can't see from the ground. The annual inspection adds a physical check of each fitting, the wiring, the signage and the escape route it's lighting. Both are recorded per fitting, and the register stays on site.
Who it applies to
- Commercial buildings and tenancies, with the obligation usually sitting with the owner and passed down through the lease.
- Schools, where the emergency lighting register is 1 of the first things asked for after an incident.
- Medical practices and aged care, where evacuation lighting is part of the accreditation picture.
- Warehouses and factories, particularly where high-bay fittings mean testing at height. See manufacturing and warehousing.
- Strata and apartment common areas: stairwells, car parks and corridors.
Repairs and upgrades
Failed fittings are replaced with new LED emergency fittings on the same visit where practical, so the register closes clean. If a building has an ageing mix of fittings, we'll price a full replacement to bring the whole site onto 1 type with 1 battery spec, which makes every future test faster. Installation of new emergency lighting is part of our commercial lighting work.