Kalin fitting a ceiling LED panel beside an illuminated exit sign in a clinic corridor

Commercial compliance

Exit and emergency light testing

Q: What is a 90 minute discharge test?

It's the test that proves the batteries hold up. The fittings are disconnected from mains power and left running on their own batteries for the rated duration, which for most installations is 90 minutes. A fitting that goes dark before the time is up has failed, no matter how bright it looked at the start.

Q: Who is responsible for getting it done?

The building owner. It isn't the installer's obligation and it doesn't transfer to your electrician. If you run the premises rather than own them, it's worth checking where it sits in your lease, and worth being on a schedule either way rather than relying on someone remembering.

Q: What happens if we have never had it done?

You start now. We come and look at what's installed, test it, and give you a straight list of what passed, what failed and what needs replacing. It's a common situation and nobody gets a lecture about it.

Q: Do you fix the faults you find, or just report them?

We fix them. We're licensed electricians, so a failed battery or fitting gets replaced there and then, on the same visit as the test. If it turns up something bigger, like a dead circuit or a problem at the switchboard, we can sort that too, and we're on call as a 24/7 emergency electrician if it can't wait.

Q: What records do we need to keep?

A logbook of the testing: the date, the fittings, the results and what was done about any failures. It needs to be available when an insurer, a fire safety inspection or a strata committee asks for it. We fill it in at the end of every visit.

Q: Can you work outside our trading hours?

Yes. A discharge test means the emergency lights are out of action for a while, so it usually suits everyone better to do it early, after close or on a weekend. Tell us your quiet window and we'll plan around it.

Q: Does this have anything to do with our annual fire safety statement?

Usually, yes. In NSW, exit signs and emergency lighting are commonly listed as fire safety measures on a building's annual fire safety statement, and the owner has to keep each measure maintained. We do the six-monthly emergency light testing and keep the logbook current. The statement itself is assessed by an accredited fire safety practitioner, which is a separate job from ours.

Q: Do you cover buildings outside Campbelltown?

Yes. We're based in St Helens Park and we work across Campbelltown and the suburbs around it, which you can see on our service areas page. For businesses we already look after we go further than that. Ask about your site and we'll tell you straight whether we can look after it properly.

The six-monthly discharge test your building needs. We're licensed electricians, so we test the fittings and fix what fails on the same visit.

Call 0412 424 596 Book a test

Tested and repaired on the one visit
Licensed & insured
Six-monthly testing to AS/NZS 2293
Logbook kept up to date

What exit and emergency light testing involves

Twice a year, every exit sign and emergency light has to be tested, repaired if it fails, and written into the logbook.

That comes from AS/NZS 2293, the standard exit signs and emergency lights are installed and maintained to. Its maintenance side sets the routine service at every six months.

The core of it is the discharge test. The fittings come off mains power and have to run on their own batteries for the rated duration, which for most installations is 90 minutes. A fitting that goes dark before the time is up has failed.

The responsibility sits with the building owner, not the installer. In NSW, exit signs and emergency lighting are usually listed as fire safety measures on a building's annual fire safety statement, and it's the owner who has to keep each measure maintained.

Check every fitting

We walk the whole building and find every exit sign and emergency light, including the ones in plant rooms and back corridors that get missed because nobody goes in there.
Run the discharge test

The fittings come off mains and run on battery for the rated duration. Anything that fails to hold up gets noted on the spot.
Fix what failed

A dead battery, a failed lamp or a faulty fitting gets replaced while we're there. We're licensed electricians, so the repair happens on the same visit as the test instead of turning into a second appointment.
Update the logbook

Results go in the record with the date, the fittings and what was done, so when somebody asks for evidence you can hand it over instead of hunting for it.

What we check on every fitting

Every exit sign and emergency light on the site gets checked, run flat on its own battery and written up, and anything that fails gets dealt with on the day.

Item	What we test	What counts as a fail	What we do about it
Exit sign	That it's lit, clean and readable from the escape route	Dark, dim, or blocked from view	Replace the lamp or the fitting, and flag anything stacked in front of it
Emergency light	That it switches over the moment the mains supply goes off	Does not come on at all	Replace the lamp, the driver or the whole fitting
Battery	The discharge test: running on battery for the rated duration	Goes dark before the time is up	New battery, then test it again
Charging circuit	That the fitting is charging and the indicator is lit	No charge showing, or a battery that never recovers	Repair the circuit or replace the fitting
Coverage	That the exits, corridors, stairwells and plant rooms are covered	A stretch of the way out with no emergency light on it	Tell you what's missing and quote the extra fittings
Logbook	That a record exists and is current	No record, or nothing written in it since the last service	Start it or bring it up to date on the day

Every result goes in the logbook with the date, the fitting and what was done, so you can produce the record when it's asked for.

Installation, repairs and the rest of it

Testing is usually how the relationship starts. Most buildings need a bit of work on the system itself as well.

New exit and emergency lighting Installation for a new fit-out or an extension, wired and positioned so the escape route is actually lit.
Replacing failed fittings Batteries, lamps and whole fittings replaced, including the old units that fail every test and cost more to keep patching.
Strata and common property Stairwells, corridors, carparks and lobbies, on the strata manager's instruction and invoiced back to them.
Anything else the test turns up A dead circuit or a board problem behind a failed fitting gets sorted properly rather than noted and left for someone else.

Exit and emergency lighting questions

Ask us yours on 0412 424 596

How often does emergency light testing have to be done?

Every six months. That's the routine service interval under AS/NZS 2293, and it applies whether or not anything has gone wrong since the last one. If nobody can find a record of the last one, treat it as overdue.

What is a 90 minute discharge test?

Who is responsible for getting it done?

What happens if we have never had it done?

Do you fix the faults you find, or just report them?

What records do we need to keep?

Can you work outside our trading hours?

Does this have anything to do with our annual fire safety statement?

Do you cover buildings outside Campbelltown?

Get in touch

Talk to the electrician who does the work

Call us and you get us, not a call centre. If it's urgent, ring straight through, day or night. Otherwise send a quote request and we'll come back to you with a fixed price.

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Exit and emergency light testing

What exit and emergency light testing involves

What our emergency light testing covers

Check every fitting

Run the discharge test

Fix what failed

Update the logbook

Not sure when yours was last tested?