Testing
How often to test emergency lighting
Monthly function vs annual duration — what to check on site, what to record, and what usually fails.
BS 5266 · For contractors
Emergency lighting guides
Last updated 30 August 2026
Short, practical notes for UK contractors doing monthly and annual emergency lighting tests.
Testing schedule
Procedures
Paperwork
Logbook
Software
Monthly
How to do a monthly emergency lighting test
Step-by-step flick test — test key, walk the route, what pass looks like, what not to do.
Annual
How to run an annual duration test
Plan the three-hour run, check mid-test, and leave the visit report and site certificate.
Paperwork
Visit report vs certificate vs logbook
Which document is which — and when you need the visit report, the site certificate, or just the logbook.
Logbook
Emergency lighting logbook: what to record
What each entry needs — and why monthly gaps still matter even when the annual looks fine.
Register
Keep a living site register
Stop rewriting the fitting list every visit. Carry the same register forward so the next test starts where you left off.
Software
Emergency lighting test software (UK)
What to look for on site — FireCert, cert apps, scheduling tools, and when paper is enough.
For the same work
Beacon is built for these tests
Monthly flick, annual duration, living site register, and the paperwork from the visit — even with no signal.
No card · Free in open beta