How Often Should Emergency Lights Be Tested?
Emergency lighting is designed to provide illumination when normal building power fails, helping employees and visitors safely find exitsand navigate evacuation routes in a potential emergency. But batteries can fail, bulbs can burn out, and fixtures can become damaged, soregular testing is essential to ensure emergency lights will work when they're needed most.
Monthly: Perform a Functional Test
Emergency lighting should generally be functionally tested at 30-day intervals for at least 30 seconds. The purpose of this test is tosimulate a loss of normal power and confirm that the emergency fixture switches to its backup power source and provides illumination
During the monthly check, look for issues such as:
- Lights that don't illuminate
- Damaged or dirty fixtures
- Obstructions blocking the light
- Improperly positioned lamp heads
- Signs of battery or charging-system problems
Self-testing or self-diagnostic emergency lighting may have different testing procedures, so facilities should follow the applicable code andmanufacturer's instructions.
Annually: Conduct a 90-Minute Test
In addition to monthly testing, battery-powered emergency lighting systems following NFPA 101 testing practices generally undergo a 90-minute annual test. This longer test determines whether the backup power system can continue supplying emergency illumination for therequired duration rather than simply confirming that the lights turn on. A fixture that works during a short monthly test may still have adeteriorated battery that fails during an extended outage. That's why both short functional tests and longer duration tests are important to ensuring a fully functioning emergency light system.
Don't Forget a Visual Inspection
Testing isn't just about pushing a button. Regular inspections should also verify that emergency lights haven't been damaged, covered,disconnected, or obstructed by equipment, shelving, signs, decorations, or inventory.
This is particularly important in warehouses and industrial facilities, where layouts and storage configurations can frequently change.
Keep Records of Your Tests
Maintaining a testing log makes it easier to track which fixtures have been inspected, identify repeat problems, and document correctiveaction. Testing records commonly include the date, fixture location or ID, test performed, results, identified problems, and corrective actiontaken. Written testing records are also part of commonly followed NFPA 101 testing practices.
Why Regular Emergency Light Testing Matters
OSHA requires workplace exit routes to be “adequately lighted so employees with normal vision can see along the route”, making properlyfunctioning emergency and exit-route lighting an important component of workplace evacuation safety.
A simple rule for many facilities is:
Every Month: Perform a 30-second functional test.
Every Year: Perform a 90-minute full-duration test.
Local fire and building codes, the adopted edition of NFPA 101, the type of emergency lighting system, and manufacturer requirements canaffect the exact testing procedure. Facilities should verify the requirements that apply to their specific building and jurisdiction and follow them accordingly.