Discuss Emergency Lighting Test Competent in the Lighting Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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Just trying to find out if there's any legal or general requirement to be qualified to carry out Emergency Lighting Tests? This is the same for Fire Alarm servicing, as both require certificates to be issued and signed, so if something was to go wrong and it ever went to court etc would they expect you to have a certificate and appropriate training to be deemed "competent".
 
You need to be competent and have sufficient knowledge of emergency lighting systems to know their suitability and relevant copies of BS5266.
 
You would be expected to be competent in what you are doing and if anything went wrong then you would have to be able to demonstrate that competence.
If you have certificates of training then this eases the path of proof, however they are not required just convenient; if you have other means of demonstrating that you do know what you are doing then this would suffice.
 
BS 5266-1 defines a competent person as someone with the relevant current training and experience, with access to the requisite tools, equipment and information so they are capable of carrying out the required tasks.

90% of EM installs we come across are non-complaint with regs. There is a real shortage of competency in this sector.

As a minimum, in order to carry out this kind of work competently you need to be fully versed with 5266-1, you need a light meter and know how to use it, you need some good software to aid with floor plans and calculation and you need your paperwork (risk assessments, O&M manuals, log books, photometric data, instructions etc...) to be in tip top condition.

You can't just sling a few EM lights in and hope for the best nowadays. If something went wrong and you hadn't designed and installed correctly, as you rightly assume, it'd be the dock you'd be stood in.
 
Same with fire alarms never ceases to amaze me that people give it a bash with no copies of the relevant standards.
 
It doesn't change the goalposts at all. If you're not competent to design and install a system, how could you possibly be competent to periodically inspect and test it?

Remember, after a periodic inspection and test of EM lighting you're not just handing them a report, you're handing them a certificate. You're certifying that the installation complies with BS 5266-1.
 
If you were testing/inspecting a property to BS 5266-1 it is probable that you would encounter deviations which the client would then require a quotation for, this in itself would prompt a working knowledge of design and installation.
 

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