Emergency Lighting Installation & Testing Ormskirk, Liverpool & Manchester
Emergency lighting designed, installed, tested and certified to BS 5266-1, for commercial premises across Ormskirk, Liverpool, Manchester and the North West.
emergency lighting installation & testing
Emergency lighting is the system nobody thinks about until the power goes off or somebody asks to see the certificate. We design, install, test and certify it for commercial premises right across the North West, and for most of our clients we simply take the testing off their hands entirely so it stops being something they have to remember. Based in Ormskirk, covering Merseyside, Greater Manchester and West Lancashire.
emergency lighting systems we install & maintain
Most commercial emergency lighting is one of two arrangements, plus the signage that goes with it. Which suits your building comes down to its size, how it’s laid out, and more importantly the required testing. That last one influences the decision more than people expect, and it’s worth being realistic about it at design stage rather than discovering two years later that nobody has touched the system since installation.
Self-contained emergency lighting
Each luminaire has its own battery, charger and control gear built in, so a failure affects one fitting rather than a whole escape route. It’s the standard arrangement for the large majority of commercial premises: simpler to install, cheaper to start with, and easy to extend when the building changes. The trade off is that testing means walking the building and checking fittings individually.
Central battery systems
One central battery supplying emergency power to luminaires across the building. Worth considering on larger or more complex sites, where having the batteries in one accessible place makes maintenance far more practical than getting a ladder to two hundred individual fittings. Higher up front cost, often lower cost to live with.
Automatic test systems
Luminaires that test themselves on schedule and report faults centrally, so you get a record rather than a job. These are worth serious thought on any building where the monthly test realistically isn’t going to happen, which in our experience is most of them. It turns a recurring chore into something that flags itself when there’s actually a problem.
Exit signs & escape route lighting
Illuminated exit signage and the lighting that gets people to it: along escape routes, at every change of direction, at stairs, at final exits, and at fire alarm call points and firefighting equipment. Signage needs to be consistent throughout a building, and mixing old and new sign styles is a common finding on fire risk assessments.
System categories & your legal duties
Emergency lighting has a design standard, a testing regime and a legal duty sitting behind it. Most of the failures we come across are not about the equipment.
Designed to BS 5266-1
BS 5266-1 is the code of practice for emergency lighting of premises, and BS EN 1838 sets the light levels it has to achieve. Escape routes, open areas and high risk task areas each have their own requirement, and there are specific points that must be covered regardless of what the rest of the building looks like: exits, stairs, changes of direction, changes of level, fire alarm call points, firefighting equipment and first aid points. Three hour duration is the normal specification for commercial premises.
Monthly and annual testing
Two separate tests, set out in BS 5266-8 and BS EN 50172. A short functional test every month proves each luminaire actually switches over and illuminates. Once a year, the system runs for its full rated duration, normally three hours, to prove the batteries still hold up. Both go in a log book. The annual test is the one that gets skipped, and it’s the one that finds the dead batteries.
Your duty as responsible person
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to keep fire safety measures in efficient working order, and emergency lighting is squarely one of those. There’s no separate emergency lighting law to point at, which catches people out, but a fire officer asking to see your log book is asking under that Order. An empty log book is a finding.
commercial premises we work in
Five decades in the trade means we have worked across just about every commercial sector and premises in the North West when it comes to emergency lighting. If yours is not shown below, get in touch.
Warehousing and distribution
High bay escape route lighting, coverage across open floor areas, and signage that stays visible when racking layouts change. Often awkward to test manually, which makes automatic systems worth pricing.
Retail units
Shop floor, stockroom and back of house coverage, with signage and lighting that survives shopfitting changes. A common one for us is a relight where nobody kept the emergency lighting in the design.
offices
Escape routes, stairwells, open plan areas and exits, usually non maintained, and normally the easiest buildings to bring up to standard.
manufacturing
Escape routes through plant, plus high risk task area lighting where machinery needs to be shut down safely rather than simply abandoned in the dark.
Schools & Colleges
Multi block sites, corridors, halls and outdoor routes to assembly points, with work scheduled into holidays wherever we can manage it.
Healthcare
Escape routes designed around people who cannot move quickly, plus coverage at treatment areas where care may have to continue through a power failure.
Multi Tenant Units
Landlord areas, shared stairwells and common escape routes, with certification that managing agents can keep on file for their own compliance.
Hospitality
Maintained lighting in spaces that get deliberately darkened, plus coverage in kitchens, cellars and back corridors that the public never see but staff use constantly.
testing, certification & maintenance
Emergency lighting is not a fit and forget system, and the testing is where nearly everyone comes unstuck. Here’s how it splits, and how we take most of it off you.
Monthly Functional Test
A brief test proving every luminaire switches over and lights up, recorded in the log book. It’s a small job that gets forgotten between other priorities, which is precisely why automatic test systems have become popular. We’ll show your staff how to do it, or take it on ourselves.
Anual Duration Test
The full discharge, normally three hours, proving the batteries genuinely last as long as they’re supposed to. This is the one that matters and the one that routinely doesn’t happen. It also has to be planned properly, because the system needs recharging afterwards and shouldn’t be left flat during occupied hours. We book these in advance and issue the certificate afterwards.
Maintenance
Batteries have a working life and fittings fail, so testing always turns up work. We price remedials clearly and separately, replace like for like where we can, and tell you when a system is far enough gone that patching it is money wasted. Most clients have emergency lighting on the same schedule as their fire alarm servicing, so it’s one visit rather than two.
Our installation Process
HOW WE GET IT DONE
Straightforward, and the same on every job. No surprises at the end of it. It’s about results, not excuses.
01
Free site survey
We walk the escape routes with you, look at the layout and check what’s already in place. On existing systems we’ll usually find a few fittings nobody knew had failed.
02
Design To Standard
Designed to BS 5266-1 and BS EN 1838, with the required light levels along escape routes and across open areas, and coverage at all the points the standard calls for regardless of building type.
03
written quotation
Fixed price and itemised, with the testing regime and any ongoing costs set out separately so you can see the real commitment.
04
Installation
Worked around your operation. Out of hours and phased working are normal on live buildings, and we keep existing cover in place while a system is being changed over.
05
Commissioning and Testing
Full commissioning and duration testing, with the completion certificate and log book handed over. That paperwork is what your insurer and fire officer will ask to see.
06
Handover & Maintenance
We show your staff how to run the monthly test and record it, or put you on a schedule where we handle the testing entirely. Most clients pick the second one.
FAQ
Common questions we get asked
Most of these come up on a site survey for emergency lighting. The one about the annual test comes up nearly every time, usually followed by a pause. If yours isn’t covered here, give us a ring and ask.
How often does emergency lighting need testing?
Monthly and annually. The monthly test is a short functional check that every luminaire switches over and lights. The annual test runs the system for its full rated duration, normally three hours, to prove the batteries still hold. Both get recorded in a log book, and both are expected of you.
What happens if we haven't been testing it?
You’re not the first. Start now rather than worrying about the gap. We’ll carry out a full duration test, tell you what’s failed, price the remedials and get you a current certificate and a clean log book. Going forward it’s either a five minute monthly job for your staff or something we take on entirely.
How long does emergency lighting have to stay on?
Three hours is the normal specification for commercial premises. One hour systems exist and are permitted in limited circumstances where the building can be evacuated and returned to use quickly, but three hours is what most fire risk assessments and insurers expect to see.
What is the difference between maintained and non maintained?
A maintained fitting is on all the time and stays on when the power fails. A non maintained fitting is off during normal use and only comes on when the supply is lost. Most workplaces use non maintained, since the normal lighting is already on when people are in. Maintained is for spaces that might be occupied in the dark.
Do we need emergency lighting in every room?
No, but the standard is more demanding than most people assume. Escape routes, stairs, changes of direction and level, final exits, fire alarm call points, firefighting equipment and first aid points all need covering, along with open areas above a certain size. Plenty of buildings we survey have the corridors covered and have missed the call points.
Can you test a system you didn't install?
Yes, and a lot of our testing work is exactly that. We’ll test it, report on what we find, and price whatever needs putting right. If a system is old enough that replacing it beats maintaining it, we’ll say so rather than selling you a testing contract on something that’s finished.
Are self testing systems worth it?
On a building where the monthly test realistically isn’t going to get done, almost always. They cost more to install and they remove an ongoing job you’d otherwise have to remember every month. On a small unit where testing takes ten minutes, probably not. We’ll give you a straight view at survey.
Do you cover Liverpool and Manchester?
Yes. We’re based in Ormskirk and cover Liverpool, Manchester and the wider North West, including Warrington, Wigan, Preston, Bolton, St Helens and Southport.
Our Working Hours
opening hours
We are always happy to hear about new Fire Alarm & security project needs and enquiries. Call us directly, fill in the form on our contact page, or use the chat at the bottom of the screen and we will come back to you as soon as we can. Emergency callouts are available outside these hours.
Mon………………..8am to 10pm
Tue………………..8am to 10pm
Wed……………….8am to 10pm
Thu………………..8am to 10pm
Fri………………….8am to 10pm
Sat…………………8am to 10pm
Sun………………………….Closed
Areas we Serve
emergency lighting installation & testing across the North West
We’re based in Ormskirk and look after emergency lighting across West Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, from Ormskirk and Skelmersdale out to Liverpool, Manchester, Southport, Wigan, Warrington, Preston and St Helens. Send the postcode over if you’re not sure whether we reach you.
emergency lighting Related Services
Fire safety isn’t just the panel on the wall, and most of the buildings we look after need two or three of these on the same schedule.
The two go together on nearly every commercial building, they’re serviced on similar cycles, and having both on one contract means one visit and one set of paperwork rather than two contractors turning up in different months.
Frequently specified at the same time on fit outs and refurbishments, and maintained alongside the fire system.
Different job, same panel room and often the same monitoring centre. Sharing a maintenance schedule across both keeps the admin down and means one engineer can deal with everything on a single visit.
Free Consultation
Schedule A Free Consultation
Tell us about the building. We’ll come out, review the lighting needs and layout, and put a fixed price in writing for whatever needs doing. If you just need the testing taking off your hands, say so and we’ll quote for that instead. No charge and no obligation.