The emergency lighting regulations state that emergency lighting is a legal requirement in almost all buildings other than private residential dwellings.

The relevant legal instrument is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Section 14 (2) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005) states: (g) emergency routes and exits must be indicated by signs; and (h) emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting.

The RRO (2005) is legally enforceable and the penalties for breach include fines and imprisonment.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is an important law that requires you to maintain your safety standards at all times. Any breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 are likely to result in the responsible person facing fines or imprisonment.

The responsible person can be anyone who has some control over a building or areas within it, including incorporated facilities management companies, landlords and lettings agents.

A responsible person may even be a branch manager for a large corporation and they may not fully understand the responsibilities and risks they have undertaken.

The standard for emergency lighting is BS 5266-1 (Code of practice for emergency lighting). The British Standards Institution (BSi) guide to this code describes the duties of the "responsible person" as follows:

"The responsible person has to be able to demonstrate that the hardware of fire safety systems and their maintenance are adequate to protect the occupants. Fire protection products and related services should be fit for their purpose and properly installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or the relevant British Standard." (A Guide to Emergency Lighting Second Edition, 2012, p 211)

There are two types of emergency lighting tests which should be carried out at different frequencies outlined below. 

Monthly

BS 5266 / BS 5266-1 dictate that the responsible persons must test all the emergency lighting systems in a building at least once a month. Emergency Lighting signage guidelines require all signs and luminaires to illuminate and be present and clean.

Annually

Annual testing is done to check if the lights remain on for the duration recommended by British Standard. All the lights must continue to function as they should once the test is over. Those that do not must be replaced.
The results of every test must be logged on an emergency lighting test certificate and placed in the fire log book at the very least be available immediately upon request from the fire department.

The size and layout of a building will determine how many emergency lights are needed in a building. The below table outlines the light (LUX) levels required emergency lighting within a building. 

Manual Test Emergency Lighting Products 

Most Emergency Lights are tested via an Emergency lighting Key Switch on the wall. Typically next to the mains light switches.

As all Emergency Lights require to be connected to a permanent live cable this means that they cannot be installed onto the same circuit as lights typically controlled by a light switch.

By switching off the circuit with a key switch the Emergency Lights will activate allowing you to test that all of your emergency lights activate for your monthly function test.

Once a visual check has been completed that all emergency lights are working correctly the power can be re engaged via the key switch and the test log can be completed.

The duration of this check only needs to be 5 seconds or the length of time needed to check all products. 

Any failures to activate should be logged and rectified immediately. 

The annual test requires you to leave monitor the emergency lights for 3 hours to ensure they last the required time. Any failures before this time duration should be logged and rectified immediately.

Self Test Emergency Lighting Products
Self test emergency lighting performs the test automatically to ensure the lamp head and battery in each emergency light is fully operational. The status will be displayed via the LED indicator on the product with different colours and sequences/flashes showing the current status of the product. 

The product manual will show the table outlining what each indicator status means. 
With Self Test there is no need to activate a key switch to kill the power. 

DALI Test Emergency Lighting Products
DALI stands for Digital Addressable Lighting Interface. This allows for the emergency lighting products to be added onto a digital lighting control system or BMS.

From the digital interface emergency light testing can be scheduled and reported from removing the need for a manual test. However, this should still be inspected at the same frequency to identify any faults. 

It is good practice to still print out the test reports to ensure immediate availability should they be requested. 

It is also important to note that a DALI Emergency Lighting product reverts to Self Test should a Lighting Control System or BMS not be in operation. 

DALI is typically hard wired by an additional 2 core cable to transmit the digital signal. However, it is becoming increasingly popular for this to be done via a wireless bluetooth mesh network. 

Central Battery System Testing
Central battery systems are less common and typically more expensive to install however they do come with testing benefits with testing only needing to be done at one location for the monthly and annual tests. 

Each system has its own processes depending on the manufacturer and age of the system. It is always good practice to use a competent company or person when carrying out these tests.