Emergency Light Testing in the UK – How is it Operated?

Once your emergency lighting units are installed, proper maintenance and periodic checks must be conducted to ensure compliance with industry and safety standards. Emergency light testing is a required step to make sure that your system is in proper working condition in case of an emergency. The UK Fire Safety Legislation states that emergency lighting systems should undergo full testing annually and should be flick-tested on a monthly basis. Emergency lighting is a critical investment and requirement in buildings as they ensure proper illumination of escape routes in case of an emergency. This type of lighting also enables building occupants to locate fire-fighting and other emergency equipment in case of a fire.

Emergency lighting systems are typically powered by self-charging batteries that automatically recharge with the help of the mains power or a dedicated power source. Lights or luminaries, as they are called, are either maintained/constantly on/or non-maintained/triggered on by power supply interruption. Emergency light testing or test checks as they are commonly referred to are conducted to make sure that all luminaries and every other part of an emergency lighting system are in working order as stipulated by the British Standard.

Full emergency light testing is typically conducted by cutting off the mains electricity supply so as to trigger emergency lighting. The mains supply must remain switched off for as long as the rated period of the system’s battery and luminaries must be checked to make sure that they are illuminated at the proper levels for the entire duration of such period. Should your luminaries fail anytime during this rated period, your system’s back-up battery must be replaced immediately. Testing should likewise include a log of all defects and issues found during the inspection, especially problems that must be remedied immediately. This is one of the most basic procedures for testing emergency lighting systems in buildings.

Source - https://www.electricalsafetycertificate.co.uk/emergency-light-testing-in-the-uk-how-is-it-operated

Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate: Make Your Home a Safer Place to Live

A domestic electrical installation certificate is issued to homeowners in order to confirm that a new or recent electrical installation work has been constructed, designed, tested, and inspected in accordance to current wiring and electrical safety regulations. It bears similarities with an electrical installation certificate, only it is specifically used for domestic installations and is preferred primarily for its simplicity. Domestic electrical installation certificates are to be used only for the verification or certification of a brand new installation or an alteration or addition to an existing installation, such as new circuits introduced to a system.

Electrical certifications such as the domestic electrical installation certificate provide critical information about a property’s legal compliance to safety regulations. They help ensure that electrical installations within a particular property have been thoroughly inspected and in turn qualify as safe as per current standards. Securing these kinds of safety certificates is crucial as they help protect property owners and managers against legal repercussions of non-compliance to regulations. A domestic electrical installation certificate is also useful when putting a home up for sale as well as when verifying insurance claims. Failure to maintain electrical safety could put you at risk of invalidating your insurance policy as well as facing legal consequences of non-compliance to current standards.

Electrical certifications are to be expected whenever electrical work is done in a building. Electrical installation certificates are typically issued to indicate the safety of works like brand new circuit installations or perhaps the replacement of consumer units and fuse boxes. Minor electrical installations also merit a safety certificate as well as installations and works involving the alteration or addition of existing circuit systems, particularly when those installations are within a room containing a bath, shower, swimming pool, sauna heater, or perhaps kitchen appliances. Domestic electrical installation certificates are different from EICR or electrical installation condition report in that the latter is issued upon the testing and assessment of electrical circuits for potential damage and deterioration over time.

Source - https://www.electricalsafetycertificate.co.uk/domestic-electrical-installation-certificate-make-your-home-a-safer-place-to-live