Emergency Lighting
From design and installation to monthly functional checks and annual full duration tests, we keep your emergency lighting compliant with BS 5266. Every test is logged, every fault is fixed by our engineers, and your records are always ready for inspection.
Emergency Lighting in Glasgow & Scotland's Central Belt
When the power fails in a building, the normal lighting goes with it. In a busy office, a school corridor or a packed pub on a Saturday night, that can turn an ordinary evacuation into a dangerous one. Emergency lighting makes sure escape routes, exits and hazards stay visible long enough for everyone to get out safely, and it is one of the first systems a fire officer or insurer will check.
Strathclyde Electrical Service designs, installs, tests and maintains emergency lighting for offices, schools, universities, pharmaceutical sites, pubs, restaurants, shops and industrial units across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and the wider Central Belt. Our engineers handle everything from a handful of replacement fittings to complete systems for multi storey buildings, with every installation certified to BS 5266.
Strathclyde Electrical Service designs, installs, tests and maintains emergency lighting for offices, schools, universities, pharmaceutical sites, pubs, restaurants, shops and industrial units across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and the wider Central Belt. Our engineers handle everything from a handful of replacement fittings to complete systems for multi storey buildings, with every installation certified to BS 5266.
Your Legal Responsibilities in Scotland
Under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, the person responsible for non domestic premises must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and put suitable measures in place to keep people safe. Where escape routes would be dangerous in the dark, emergency lighting is one of those measures, and it has to be properly maintained rather than simply installed and forgotten.
In practice, that means having a system designed to the right standard, testing it regularly, keeping a written record of every test and fixing faults promptly. If your fire risk assessment highlights gaps in your emergency lighting, or an inspection flags missing test records, we can bring your system and your paperwork back into line quickly.
In practice, that means having a system designed to the right standard, testing it regularly, keeping a written record of every test and fixing faults promptly. If your fire risk assessment highlights gaps in your emergency lighting, or an inspection flags missing test records, we can bring your system and your paperwork back into line quickly.
Designing a System That Fits Your Building
Good emergency lighting starts with good design. BS 5266 sets out where fittings are needed, including every exit door, each change of direction along an escape route, every staircase, and near fire alarm call points, firefighting equipment and first aid points. Illuminated exit signs guide people towards the nearest safe way out, while open area lighting helps prevent panic in larger spaces such as open plan offices, canteens, sports halls and bar areas.
Some areas need more than basic coverage. High risk task areas, such as plant rooms, commercial kitchens or places where machinery must be shut down safely, may need higher light levels so people can make things safe before they leave. We also help you choose between maintained fittings, which stay lit at all times and suit places like cinemas, bars and theatres, and non maintained fittings, which only switch on when the power fails and are common in offices and schools.
Some areas need more than basic coverage. High risk task areas, such as plant rooms, commercial kitchens or places where machinery must be shut down safely, may need higher light levels so people can make things safe before they leave. We also help you choose between maintained fittings, which stay lit at all times and suit places like cinemas, bars and theatres, and non maintained fittings, which only switch on when the power fails and are common in offices and schools.
Installation, Upgrades & Self Test Systems
We install new emergency lighting in refurbished and newly built premises, and upgrade older systems that no longer meet the standard or rely on outdated fluorescent fittings. Modern LED emergency luminaires use far less power, last longer and are easier to maintain, and upgrading often gives you better coverage with fewer fittings.
For larger buildings or multi site clients, self test and centrally monitored systems can take much of the routine testing off your hands. The fittings test themselves automatically and report any failures, which reduces manual checks and makes it much easier to keep accurate records. We can advise whether a self test system is worth the investment for your premises, or whether a well maintained conventional system is the better choice.
For larger buildings or multi site clients, self test and centrally monitored systems can take much of the routine testing off your hands. The fittings test themselves automatically and report any failures, which reduces manual checks and makes it much easier to keep accurate records. We can advise whether a self test system is worth the investment for your premises, or whether a well maintained conventional system is the better choice.
Testing, Servicing & Record Keeping
BS 5266 requires two regular tests. Every month, each fitting should be switched into emergency mode briefly to check that it lights. Once a year, the system needs a full duration test, running on battery for its full rated period, usually three hours, to prove it will last long enough in a real emergency.
Every test, fault and repair must be recorded in your emergency lighting logbook, which fire officers and insurers may ask to see at any time.
Because a full duration test drains the batteries, the building's emergency lighting is weakened until they recharge. We schedule annual tests when the premises are unoccupied, or test alternate fittings on different visits so coverage is never lost.
Batteries in self contained fittings typically last around four years, so we also track their age and recommend replacements before they start failing tests.
Every test, fault and repair must be recorded in your emergency lighting logbook, which fire officers and insurers may ask to see at any time.
Because a full duration test drains the batteries, the building's emergency lighting is weakened until they recharge. We schedule annual tests when the premises are unoccupied, or test alternate fittings on different visits so coverage is never lost.
Batteries in self contained fittings typically last around four years, so we also track their age and recommend replacements before they start failing tests.
Emergency Lighting as Part of the Bigger Picture
Emergency lighting rarely works in isolation. It sits alongside your fire alarm system, is powered from your fixed electrical installation and needs rethinking every time a layout changes. When walls move during an office refurbishment, escape routes change too, and the emergency lighting has to be redesigned to match.
Because our engineers cover electrical, fire and emergency lighting, we can combine your annual emergency lighting test with fire alarm servicing, an EICR or other commercial electrical work. That means fewer visits, less disruption and all your compliance records kept in one place by one contractor.
Because our engineers cover electrical, fire and emergency lighting, we can combine your annual emergency lighting test with fire alarm servicing, an EICR or other commercial electrical work. That means fewer visits, less disruption and all your compliance records kept in one place by one contractor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can our own staff carry out the monthly tests?
- How long does emergency lighting need to last?
- Does every building need emergency lighting?
- What is the difference between maintained and non maintained fittings?
- Can you take over the testing of an existing system?
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