Emergency & Exit Lighting Inspection
Emergency lights and exit signs need a 30-second functional test every month and a full 90-minute battery duration test once a year. It is the simplest requirement in the building and the one most often found undocumented during an inspection.
The work itself
- Testing every emergency luminaire and illuminated exit sign in the building, including stairwells, corridors, and back-of-house areas that get forgotten.
- The annual 90-minute test, which runs each unit on battery for the full duration to confirm it holds up rather than dying at minute twelve.
- Checking that exit signs are actually visible and correctly directional. A sign pointing toward a locked door or a wall is a real finding.
- Replacing failed batteries, lamps, and units, and verifying illumination levels along the path of egress.
- Documentation, which is the part that matters when an inspector asks for records rather than a demonstration.
Required intervals
| Interval | What happens | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | A functional test of at least 30 seconds on every emergency light and exit sign. Straightforward enough that most building staff handle it. | Building staff |
| Annually | A full 90-minute duration test on battery, confirming each unit maintains adequate illumination for the entire period, with written records. | Redbird |
These intervals come from NFPA 101 and related requirements. If your staff is doing the monthly test but not writing it down, you are technically out of compliance. We can set up a simple log that holds up.
When we show up
- 01
We map every unit in the building first, because the ones nobody remembers are the ones that fail.
- 02
For the annual test we put units on battery for the full 90 minutes and check illumination at the end of the period, not the beginning.
- 03
Failed batteries and lamps get replaced during the visit where we can, so the building leaves compliant rather than with a to-do list.
- 04
You get a report listing every unit by location with pass or fail stated in words, and a recommended action for anything that failed.
Straight answers
- How often do emergency lights need to be tested?
- Every emergency light and exit sign needs a functional test of at least 30 seconds monthly, and a full 90-minute battery duration test annually. The monthly test can be done by building staff, but it has to be documented to count.
- Why does the annual test take 90 minutes?
- Because that is how long the batteries are required to carry the load. A unit that lights up when you press the test button may still fail after fifteen minutes, which is exactly when people would still be evacuating. The 90-minute test is the only way to catch that.
- Do exit signs need testing if they are always illuminated?
- Yes. The test is not about whether the sign is lit under normal power, it is about whether it stays lit when power fails. That means testing the battery backup on the same monthly and annual cycle.
We'll take it from here.
Same-day response to every service request. Tell us what you need and a Redbird team member gets back to you the same business day.