Emergency lighting testing in Reading: monthly checks

If the power fails during a fire, the normal lights go out. Emergency lighting takes over so people can see the route to the nearest exit. In any shared building in Reading, whether it is a block of flats or an office, those lights have to work when they are needed. A battery that looks fine on Tuesday might fail on Friday, so regular testing is the only way to know.

The law places this responsibility on the person who manages the building. Under the duties set out for the [responsible person](/rules/responsible-person-duties-reading), maintaining emergency lighting is part of keeping occupants safe. It sits alongside other measures such as a [fire risk assessment](/fire-risk-assessment-reading) and checked escape routes.

Testing does not mean guessing. There are two distinct routines required by British Standards: a brief functional check every month and a full discharge test once a year. Both produce results that must be recorded.

Each month, someone needs to simulate a power failure to see if every emergency light comes on. This is known as the flick test because it usually involves switching off the mains supply at a dedicated key switch or circuit breaker for a few seconds.

During that short interruption, every maintained and non-maintained emergency fitting should illuminate. The person carrying out the test walks the escape routes and checks each one. They look for fittings that stay dark, bulbs that flicker, or units where the indicator LED shows a fault rather than a steady charge.

This check takes only a few minutes but it catches problems early. A dead battery or a failed lamp found during a monthly test can be replaced long before anyone needs that light in a real emergency. The specialist firm handling maintenance will note which units failed and arrange repairs. If the building has a [fire evacuation plan](/fire-evacuation-plans-reading), working emergency lighting is a basic requirement for the routes described in it.

For most buildings in Reading, that means three hours of continuous light without mains power. A specialist switches off the supply and leaves it off while the batteries drain completely. Every fitting is monitored throughout the period. If a unit goes out after ninety minutes when it should last three hours, the battery or the entire fitting needs replacing before the building is considered safe again. After the test, the mains power is restored and the batteries begin recharging. A full recharge can take up to twenty-four hours. During that window, the building is more vulnerable if the power fails again, so the specialist firm will usually schedule the duration test for a time when the building is empty or lightly occupied. In a block of flats, this might mean arranging access with residents in advance or timing the work around a planned void period.

Every test, whether it is the short monthly check or the full annual discharge, must be written down. The record goes into the fire log book kept on site. An inspector or fire officer can ask to see this book at any point, and missing entries are treated as evidence that the tests did not happen.

The entry should include the date, the name of the person who carried out the test, which fittings were checked, and any faults found. If a repair was needed, the log should show when the work was completed. These records form part of the wider [fire safety policy](/fire-safety-policy) for the building.

Keeping accurate logs also helps the responsible person track patterns. If the same fitting fails twice in six months, there may be a wiring fault rather than a simple battery issue. The specialist firm uses these records to decide whether a single replacement or a broader investigation is needed.

The monthly flick test can be done by someone on site, such as a caretaker or facilities manager, provided they know which switch to use and what to look for. The annual duration test requires more knowledge, so a specialist firm usually handles it.

That firm brings the equipment to isolate the supply safely, monitors the discharge across the whole building, and replaces any components that fail. They also update the log book with the formal test certificate. Buildings with complex systems, such as large HMOs covered by a specific [HMO fire risk assessment](/hmo-fire-risk-assessment-reading), often rely entirely on the specialist firm for both routines.

If you manage a home converted into multiple flats or a commercial premises in Reading, the testing schedule applies to you. The specialist firm will agree a timetable that fits around how the building is used, ensuring the lights are tested without leaving residents or staff in the dark during normal hours.