Who is responsible
In Queensland, the occupier of a building must maintain its prescribed fire safety installations to a standard of safety and reliability at all times. That is set out in the Fire Services Act 1990. Emergency lighting and exit signs are fire safety installations. The occupier is usually the business, or for common areas the body corporate.
How often
Maintenance requirements are set out in the Queensland Development Code MP 6.1. Queensland Fire Department guidance refers to six-monthly and annual inspections, carried out by a licensed electrician or another appropriately qualified person. The Australian Standard for routine service of emergency lighting is AS/NZS 2293.2. Your fire safety contractor or electrician should follow the current requirements for your building.
The occupier also has day-to-day duties. For example, exit sign covers must be clean, in place and unbroken.
What the records need
- A logbook, paper or electronic, recording each inspection and its results
- Records kept on site for at least two years, with a copy kept somewhere else
- Faults recorded with the date they were fixed
What we check
- Each fitting switches to battery when mains power is removed
- The discharge test: fittings stay lit for the required time
- Exit signs are visible, clean and pointing the right way
- Failed batteries, lamps and fittings, replaced or reported
- Logbook entries completed and signed
Common problems
- Batteries that pass the button test but fail the full discharge test
- Old fluorescent fittings that are hard to get parts for. Replacing them with LED fittings usually costs less over time.
- Signs blocked by shelving, signage or fit-out changes
- Missing or incomplete logbooks
From our job sheets
We service and replace emergency and exit lighting for businesses, sheds, clubs and childcare centres. Recent jobs include replacing exit signs in a childcare centre and installing high-bay and emergency lighting in a new shed. We can set up a six-monthly schedule and keep the logbook up to date for you.
What it costs with us
Emergency lighting testing is quoted by the number of fittings and the site. See emergency and exit lighting and body corporate and strata.