Yes. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, most UK non-domestic premises are legally required to have emergency lighting to ensure occupants can safely evacuate during a power failure. Emergency lighting must be installed in areas where lack of lighting would present a danger, including escape routes, stairways, high-risk task areas, and any rooms that could be occupied by employees, customers, or visitors.
Emergency lighting must also comply with BS 5266-1, which sets out the requirements for design, installation, testing, and maintenance.
UK standards recognise several types of emergency lighting:
Escape Route Lighting – illuminates corridors, stairways and fire exits.
Open Area (Anti-Panic) Lighting – prevents panic and guides occupants to escape routes.
High-Risk Task Area Lighting – for areas where dangerous processes need to be shut down safely.
Standby Lighting – provides normal illumination for continued activity (optional, not legally required).
According to BS 5266-1 and BS EN 50172, you must perform:
Monthly function tests (brief test to ensure lights operate)
Annual full-duration tests (typically 1–3 hours, depending on system rating)
All test results must be recorded in a fire safety logbook.
Most UK premises require a minimum duration of 3 hours for emergency lighting.
A 1-hour duration may be acceptable in some low-risk buildings, but only if they evacuate immediately and do not allow re-entry during a failure.
Yes—if a toilet is intended for use by the public or accommodates more than one person, emergency lighting is required.
Single-occupant toilets may be exempt unless:
they have no borrowed light, or
they form part of an escape route.
Exit signage must:
comply with BS ISO 7010 (standard pictograms)
be visible along all escape routes
be internally or externally illuminated
remain lit during a power failure (either self-contained or supplied by emergency lighting)
Maintained: always on; switch to battery power during a failure (common in public venues).
Non-maintained: off during normal operation; only turns on during a power cut (common in offices and workplaces).
Your fire risk assessment determines which type is suitable.