Every six months, and every fitting. AS/NZS 2293.2 has every battery-backed emergency luminaire and exit sign discharged for its rated duration, at least 90 minutes, with the result for each fitting recorded in the logbook and any failed fitting repaired or replaced. An annual inspection and clean of the fittings, and a capacity test of any central battery, sits on top. A monthly function test is recommended practice above the standard.
The intervals
| Interval | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly (recommended practice) | Function test from the test switch or building management system: every luminaire and exit sign illuminates on battery. | Owner or staff, or the contractor |
| Six-monthly | Every fitting discharged for its rated duration, at least 90 minutes, on battery; each result recorded in the logbook; failed fittings repaired or replaced before the next test. | Electrical or fire services contractor |
| Annual | Inspection and cleaning of fittings, diffusers and reflective surfaces; central battery capacity test where fitted; compliance certificate and logbook update. | Electrical or fire services contractor |
| At commissioning or after modification | Full test of the installation against AS/NZS 2293.1 before the area is occupied. | Electrical contractor |
Who does it and what to keep
An electrical contractor or a fire services contractor runs the six-monthly and annual routines; the monthly function test can be done in-house where a test switch or a building management system allows it. The record is the emergency lighting logbook: each fitting numbered on a plan, the date and result of every discharge test, the fault found and the repair. In New South Wales the system is an essential fire safety measure on the annual fire safety statement, and the logbook is the evidence behind it.
The rule behind the interval
AS/NZS 2293.2 Emergency escape lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 2: Inspection and maintenance, sets the six-monthly and annual routines. AS/NZS 2293.1 is the design and installation part. The building regulation of each state requires the system to be maintained to the standard it was installed under.
Common questions
Can the six-monthly test be done during trading hours?
Yes, but the fittings run on battery for at least 90 minutes and then need time to recharge, so most contractors schedule it outside peak hours and never on the same day as other fire tests that would leave the building without cover.
What if a fitting fails the discharge test?
It is repaired or replaced before the next test, and the failure and the repair are both recorded in the logbook. A fitting that fails is a fault in an essential fire safety measure, not a note for next time.
Put it in the register
An interval only holds when the asset is listed with its tasks, its contractor and where the record lives. Standara's library carries this asset with the tasks above attached, so adding it to a site's register produces the year's schedule, the monthly to-do list and the completion record the auditor or insurer asks for. The fuller picture, with the neighbouring assets and the rule behind each interval, is in the Electrical testing schedule.
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- A worked example: one club's register, planner and records for a year
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