An insurance visit has a way of focusing attention on the systems that usually run quietly in the background. Emergency lighting is one of them. It sits on the ceiling for months without being noticed, and then someone asks to see proof that it has been tested, maintained and kept in good order.
At William Hale, we design, install and maintain emergency lighting systems for residential and commercial clients. Preparing for a visit is far easier when testing, repairs and records are already part of the routine, because it becomes a matter of checking rather than catching up the week before.
This guide explains what to check on your emergency lighting before an insurance inspection, covering records, testing, the physical condition of the system and the practical steps that make the visit run smoothly.
Why Emergency Lighting Matters Before an Insurance Visit
Emergency lighting can save lives by helping people find safe passage out of a building during a fire or power cut when the main lighting has failed. Safety signs also form a vital part of the system, showing people how to evacuate and how to operate emergency safety equipment correctly.
In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on the responsible person to maintain fire safety measures, including emergency lighting where it is required, in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalent legislation.
Emergency lighting documentation supports far more than routine maintenance. Records are needed during insurance visits, fire authority inspections, internal audits, health and safety reviews and facilities management handovers. Poorly completed paperwork or missing records can create unnecessary complications during audits, insurance enquiries or fire risk assessments.
Ask What Will Be Reviewed
Every insurer and every visit is different, so the first step is simple: ask your insurer or broker what their surveyor will want to see. Knowing in advance whether they are interested in records, a walk-round of the building or both lets you prepare properly rather than guessing.
Give Yourself Enough Time
Preparation goes better with a few weeks in hand. If checks reveal faults, repairs need to be arranged, carried out and retested. If a full-duration test is due, the batteries will need time to recharge afterwards.
A full-duration test leaves emergency lighting below full capacity while batteries recharge, so it is sensible not to run one immediately before the visit. Plan it far enough ahead that the system is back to full capacity and the report is in your file.
Check 1: Your Emergency Lighting Logbook
The logbook is the backbone of emergency lighting management and one of the first documents anyone reviewing your system is likely to ask about. Before the visit, go through it carefully.
Check that it contains:
- Monthly test dates, results and any defects found.
- Annual duration test dates, durations and results.
- Faults found, repairs completed and components replaced.
- Follow-up tests confirming repairs.
- Outstanding actions and who is responsible for them.
Look for gaps. Missing monthly tests, unresolved faults and repeated failures in the same location are all signs that the maintenance programme needs attention. If a month is missing, do not backfill it. Record the test you carry out now and put a routine in place so it does not happen again.
Check 2: Certificates and Reports
Alongside the logbook, gather the documents that show the system was installed and maintained properly:
- The commissioning certificate and installation drawings.
- Maintenance instructions for the equipment.
- Annual duration test reports.
- Engineer reports from service visits.
- Any compliance summaries provided by your maintenance company.
- Your maintenance agreement, showing frequency, scope, response times, exclusions and responsibilities.
On our installations, commissioning includes a full three-hour discharge, a check that every unit recharges correctly and the issue of an emergency lighting certificate. That certificate is the thing that proves a system was designed, installed and verified rather than simply screwed to a ceiling. Our guide to emergency lighting testing certificates explains what each document should show.
Check 3: A Recent Monthly Functional Test
Make sure a monthly functional test has been carried out recently and recorded. Using the designated test facility, the normal supply is briefly interrupted so you can check that each emergency light and illuminated exit sign comes on.
Appropriately instructed staff can usually carry out this test where the installation allows it. They need to know how to use the test facility, what a fault looks like and how to record and report problems. Log the date, the areas covered and the results straight away.
Check 4: The Annual Full-Duration Test
Check when the last full-duration test took place. For many premises, this is carried out at least annually, running the system on its backup supply for its full rated duration, which is three hours for many installations.
This is the test that reveals batteries which have lost capacity, even if they have passed every monthly check. If your annual test is overdue or the report cannot be found, arrange one with a competent specialist in good time before the visit.
Check 5: The Physical Condition of Fittings and Signs
Walk the building and look closely at the system itself. Even where documentation is in order, visible problems can raise questions.
Look for:
- Damaged, loose or missing fittings.
- Cracked or missing covers, diffusers and lenses.
- Fault indicators, or units not showing that they are charging.
- Signs of water ingress or impact damage.
- Dust, grease or dirt reducing light output.
- Exit signs that are faded, damaged, blocked or pointing the wrong way.
Some damage may look cosmetic but can affect light output or expose electrical components. Where you find a problem, record it and arrange a repair.
Check 6: Obstructions
Emergency lighting cannot do its job if fittings are blocked. Stock, shelving, display boards, furniture, suspended decorations and temporary construction materials can all obstruct lights and signs.
What matters is whether light reaches the escape route, not just whether the fitting is lit. Clear obstructions before the visit and, more importantly, make sure they do not return the following week.
Check 7: Coverage After Building Changes
If your building has changed since the emergency lighting was installed, check whether the system still suits it. New partitions, meeting rooms, retail refits, racking and mezzanines can all leave areas without proper coverage.
Under BS 5266, points of emphasis such as stair flights, changes of level, corridor junctions, changes of direction, fire alarm call points, firefighting equipment and final exit doors must be covered by a luminaire. If any of these have moved or been added, a specialist review is worthwhile. In warehouses, remember that racking casts long shadows, so spacing designed for an empty floor may not deliver the required lighting once the building is full.
Check 8: External Routes and Higher-Risk Areas
Two areas are frequently overlooked. The first is external escape routes, which must remain safe after occupants leave the building. External emergency lighting needs the same testing and attention as the fittings inside.
The second is areas where occupants may need to safely stop a process before evacuating, such as plant rooms, electrical switch rooms, boiler rooms, workshops and manufacturing areas. These locations need careful assessment to make sure sufficient illumination is available during a power failure.
Check 9: Outstanding Faults and Recommendations
Review your most recent engineer reports and look for any recommendations that have not been acted on. Unresolved items are easy to forget and can stand out during a review of your records.
For each outstanding item:
- Arrange a repair by a competent engineer who will address the underlying cause.
- Retest the fitting and record the result.
- If the repair cannot be completed before the visit, document the temporary measures in place.
Temporary measures might include temporary lighting, restricting access to an affected area, increased monitoring or briefing fire wardens. Recording them shows that the risk has been considered while permanent repairs are being organised.
Check 10: Access to Every Fitting
Engineers need to be able to reach every fitting safely. High-level storage, office furniture, shelving, machinery and temporary construction work can block access and lead to incomplete testing. If any fittings could not be tested during the last visit for this reason, clear the access and arrange for them to be tested.
Check 11: Clear Responsibilities
In shared or multi-let buildings, check that everyone knows who is responsible for emergency lighting testing. Responsibilities can easily fall between landlord, tenant and managing agent, and appointing a contractor does not automatically remove the responsible person’s own duties. If the arrangement is not written down, now is a good time to do it.
Check 12: Records You Can Find Quickly
Documentation has little value if nobody can find it during an inspection. Make sure authorised personnel know exactly where emergency lighting records are kept.
Many organisations keep records in a central compliance folder, organised into sections for the logbook, monthly tests, annual tests, certificates, battery replacements, repairs, the asset register, drawings and engineer reports. Emergency lighting records can sit alongside those for fire alarm servicing, fire extinguisher maintenance, fire door inspections, electrical inspections and risk assessments, giving a complete picture of the building’s fire safety management. Keeping paper and digital copies adds further security.
Check 13: Self-Test and Central Battery Indicators
If your building uses self-test fittings, check that someone has been reviewing the results. Self-test fittings can automate routine testing and simplify record keeping, but faults they report still need repairing and the system still needs periodic review. A stack of unread fault reports is no better than missing tests.
Where the installation has a central battery system, check its indicators. Central system indicators should be checked daily, and any warnings should be investigated and recorded before the visit.
Talk to Your Maintenance Provider Early
If you use a specialist for annual testing and repairs, let them know about the inspection as soon as the date is confirmed. They can check whether the annual duration test is due, review outstanding recommendations from previous visits and schedule any remaining work around your building. Work can often be phased and carried out in evenings, weekends or agreed windows so that preparation does not disrupt the business.
A Pre-Inspection Emergency Lighting Checklist
Use this summary in the weeks before the visit:
- Confirm with your insurer or broker what will be reviewed.
- Review the logbook for missing tests and unresolved faults.
- Gather certificates, drawings, reports and the maintenance agreement.
- Carry out and record a monthly functional test.
- Confirm the annual duration test is in date, allowing recharge time.
- Walk the building checking fittings, signs and obstructions.
- Review coverage against any recent building changes.
- Check external routes and higher-risk areas.
- Repair, retest and record outstanding faults.
- Make sure records are organised and easy to find.
What If You Have Inherited the Building?
If you have recently taken over a building, you may have no drawings, no commissioning certificate and no test history. This is common, and it is better to deal with it before an inspection than during one.
Where a previous contractor left no drawing, we survey the building, plot every existing luminaire, identify the gaps against the current standard and issue a schedule showing what needs to be added and what can be retained. Nothing is condemned wholesale to justify a bigger order. Testing the existing fittings at the same stage gives a clear picture of what works today and a starting point for proper records.
Faults Found Close to the Visit
If checks turn up a fault shortly before the inspection, prioritise it according to its effect on safe evacuation. A failed light on a critical staircase deserves faster attention than a fault in an area served by several other luminaires. Our out of hours call out service provides a dedicated manned telephone line, engineer response 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and a four-hour response time.
For a fuller view of how faults should be handled, see our guide to what happens if emergency lighting fails an inspection.
How William Hale Can Help You Prepare
Our emergency lighting service covers design, installation and maintenance, using up-to-date technology and products from industry-leading manufacturers. Our engineers are qualified, insured and experienced in life safety installation specifically.
Our service maintenance packages include our Emergency 24/7 Call Out Service as standard for emergency lighting systems we install, and we can take over the service maintenance of existing systems. Where monthly tests keep getting missed, we recommend self-test fittings or a scheduled service visit, so the routine no longer depends on goodwill. We also provide Fire Risk Assessments through our additional services.
William Hale Fire & Security is an SSAIB certified company, founded in early 2013 and based in Swindon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What emergency lighting records should I have ready?
Your logbook, commissioning certificate, drawings, annual duration test reports, engineer reports, repair and battery replacement records, asset register and maintenance agreement.
Should I run a duration test just before the inspection?
It is better to plan it well ahead. Batteries need time to recharge after a full-duration test, leaving the system below full capacity in the meantime.
What if I find faults before the visit?
Record them, assess the risk, arrange competent repairs and retest. If a repair cannot be finished in time, document the temporary measures in place.
Can self-test fittings replace manual checks before an inspection?
They can automate routine testing, but their results still need reviewing, faults still need repairing and a walk-round is still worthwhile to check for damage, obstructions and coverage.
How do I know what the insurer will look at?
Ask your insurer or broker before the visit. Requirements vary, so it is worth confirming what their surveyor will want to see.
Be Ready Before the Inspection Arrives
Preparing emergency lighting for an insurance inspection comes down to three things: up-to-date testing, a system in good physical condition and records that are complete and easy to find. If those are part of your normal routine, the visit becomes far more straightforward.
If you would like your emergency lighting tested, repaired or reviewed before an inspection, contact William Hale Fire & Security to speak with our surveyor or arrange a free consultation and site survey.