Emergency light test failed: what happens next.

Start with the failed fitting, not the paperwork

Record the fitting’s exact location and the observed failure. A fitting that does not switch to battery is different from one that starts brightly and drops out before 90 minutes; both need attention, but the fault description helps the electrician bring the right parts.

Keep the normal lighting in service and make sure the escape route remains usable while you arrange the repair. If an actual power failure leaves an area without safe egress lighting, follow the building’s emergency plan and restrict access to any area that cannot be used safely. Do not open the fitting or bridge the emergency circuit to force a pass.

For a building manager, the first work order should include:

• The fitting identifier and location
• Whether it is an exit sign, emergency luminaire or a combined fitting
• The test date and the time at which it failed
• Any fault indicator, visible damage or recent work nearby
• Access constraints, including tenancy hours and ceiling height

Understand what the 90-minute result proves

AS/NZS 2293.2 maintenance testing checks more than whether a lamp illuminates. The fitting must run from its battery for the required 90-minute discharge period. A fitting can pass a quick button check and still fail at minute 40 because its battery has degraded.

Other failures include a failed driver or lamp, a disconnected battery, a fault indicated by a self-testing fitting, or damage that stops the fitting producing useful light. The test result should identify the affected fitting and the failure, not simply say “failed EEL”.

The layout matters too. A replacement fitting can work perfectly and still leave a coverage gap if partitions, doors or escape routes changed during a fit-out. That is an installation-design issue, not a battery issue, and it needs assessment against AS/NZS 2293.1.

Repair the fault, then check the surrounding system

For an ageing self-contained fitting, replacement is often more practical than chasing a battery, driver and lamp through separate repairs. The replacement must be suitable for the emergency-lighting system and comply with the product requirements in AS/NZS 2293.3. A general-purpose LED downlight is not an emergency luminaire.

Before closing the job, the electrician should also check the conditions around the failure:

• Is the fitting on the correct emergency circuit?
• Has the fitting been obscured by storage, signage or a ceiling alteration?
• Are adjacent fittings approaching the same age or showing the same fault?
• Does the current layout still provide the required escape-route coverage?

This turns one repair into useful maintenance information. Repeated failures in the same area may justify a planned batch replacement instead of a new call-out every few months.

Retest and close out the record

A repair is not the end of the compliance task. The repaired or replaced fitting needs the appropriate verification and discharge retest, and the result needs to be entered in the building’s emergency-lighting records.

The close-out should connect four pieces of information:

1. The original failed-test result
2. The repair or replacement completed
3. The passing retest result and date
4. The name and licence details of the person responsible for the work

Keep the logbook with the building’s essential-safety-measures records. In Victoria, those records support the Annual Essential Safety Measures Report. A folder containing the original failure but no passing retest still shows an open defect.

Budget testing and rectification separately

Our job records show why a test-only allowance is rarely the whole budget: hundreds of separate repair visits follow inspection work. The number of fittings, access equipment, replacement parts and return visits all affect the final cost.

When comparing maintenance contract options, ask each contractor to separate:

• The scheduled six-monthly inspection and discharge test
• The asset register and logbook reporting
• Replacement fittings, batteries and other parts
• Repair labour and any access equipment
• The retest needed to close out failed items

That structure makes quotes comparable. It also lets you approve urgent rectification without renegotiating the entire maintenance agreement.

A clean close-out checklist

Before treating a failed test as resolved, make sure you can answer yes to each item:

• The failed fitting is identified by location and asset ID
• The cause has been assessed by a competent person
• The repair or replacement is complete
• The fitting has passed its required retest
• The logbook links the failure, repair and passing result
• Any layout or coverage issue has its own rectification scope
• The next six-monthly test is scheduled

If your current report lists failures without a clear repair and retest path, get in touch about emergency-lighting repairs and maintenance.