Emergency Lighting Compliance: Why It Matters More Than Ever

Ryan O'Toole
12 minutes ago
2 min read

In today’s world of building safety, emergency lighting isn’t a tick-box exercise—it’s a legal, life-saving necessity.

At Mech-Elec Building Services, we’ve been helping commercial and industrial clients across the East Midlands, wider Midlands and the UK ensure their premises meet BS 5266 standards, stay compliant, and above all—keep people safe.

Green emergency exit sign with running man and arrow, indicating escape route — Emergency Exit Blade

🔦 What We’ve Covered in Our Campaign:

Over the past few months, we’ve broken down the importance of emergency lighting, compliance, and testing in a practical, no-nonsense way. Here’s what you need to know:

✅ 1. What is Emergency Lighting and Why is it Critical?

Emergency lighting helps occupants exit a building safely when the main power supply fails—fire, power cuts, or emergency evacuations. It includes:

Escape route lighting
Open area (anti-panic) lighting
High-risk task area lighting

These aren't optional extras—they’re legal requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

✅ 2. Testing & Maintenance: What’s Required?

It’s not enough to have emergency lights installed—they need regular testing to ensure they work when you need them most.

Monthly functional tests (typically via key switch)
Annual 3-hour duration test
Logbook documentation required for all inspections

We carry out scheduled testing and provide you with compliant records to satisfy both insurers and fire risk assessments.

✅ 3. Common Failures (And How to Avoid Them)

From blocked luminaires and poor lux levels, to battery degradation and incorrect signage—we’ve seen it all.

Our audits ensure:

Correct fittings in the right locations
Fully operational and visible escape route signage
Lux level testing to confirm adequate illumination during outages

✅ 4. Upgrades: Time to Go LED?

Older systems often fail compliance due to wear and inefficient lighting. That’s where LED upgrades come in:

Longer lamp life (50,000+ hours)
Up to 70% energy savings
DALI or self-test options for smarter maintenance

With Mech-Elec, we offer full emergency lighting upgrades, including converting your fluorescent fittings to sustainable LED solutions.

✅ 5. Lux Level Testing: Don't Skip This

It’s one thing to have emergency lights—another to prove they work. Lux level testing ensures illumination is sufficient across your building in an emergency.

We use calibrated light meters to carry out post-failure lighting checks, guaranteeing your site meets required lux thresholds and risk assessments.

🛠️ How We Help:

Mech-Elec Building Services provides:

Full emergency lighting audits
Design & install to BS 5266
DALI, self-test & manual systems
Ongoing maintenance contracts
Upgrades to LED and sustainable solutions
Lux level testing and logbook documentation

Whether you’re managing a single site or a national portfolio, we deliver engineering excellence that keeps you compliant, energy-efficient, and prepared.

📍 Local Expertise. National Reach.Based in the East Midlands, we proudly serve clients across the Midlands and the UK, including:

Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands (including Birmingham), Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire.