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Free emergency lighting inspection checklist

Free emergency lighting inspection checklist (PDF-ready). Covers exit signs, emergency luminaires, battery tests and AS 2293 compliance. Download free.

Updated 3 May 2026

Emergency Lighting Inspection Checklist

Routine inspection and testing of emergency and exit lighting systems per AS 2293

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0 of 21 checks

Exit Signs

1All exit signs illuminated and clearly visible
2Exit sign faces clean and not obscured
3Directional arrows correct for egress path
4Mounting secure, signs not damaged or faded

Emergency Luminaires

5All luminaires illuminate on mains failure simulation
6Light output adequate for escape path illumination
7Diffusers and lenses intact and clean
8Luminaire housings undamaged and secure

Battery Systems

9Battery charge indicator showing healthy charge
10Duration test passed (90 min for maintained fittings)
11No battery swelling, leaking, or corrosion
12Central battery system voltage within range (if fitted)

Switching and Control

13Automatic changeover operates on mains interruption
14Manual test switch accessible and functional
15Control panel fault indicators clear (no active faults)

Certification Labels

16Each fitting has a current test tag or label
17Logbook entries up to date for previous tests
18Compliance plate/certificate displayed (annual test)

Operational Test

19Simulate mains failure and verify all fittings activate
20Escape route illumination level visually acceptable
21All fittings return to charge mode on mains restoration

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These templates are free general guides provided as-is. They do not constitute legal, safety or compliance advice. You are responsible for ensuring any form meets your specific workplace obligations, industry standards and applicable regulations.

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Jarrod Milford

Jarrod Milford

Co-Founder & Commercial Director

Updated 3 May 2026
Also see:Compliance and inspections →Best inspection software →MapTrack vs SafetyCulture →

Short answer

An emergency lighting inspection checklist records routine service of emergency luminaires and exit signs: condition and mounting, illumination, directional arrows and pictograms, batteries, discharge test results and faults found. Facility managers and their contractors complete it at each six-monthly and yearly service. AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 sets the routine service requirements, and NCC Volume One Part E4 sets where emergency lighting and exit signs are needed.

Checked against AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 on by the MapTrack templates team. How we check templates

Key takeaways

  • The MapTrack emergency lighting inspection checklist contains 21 checks across 6 sections. Sections covered: Exit Signs, Emergency Luminaires, Battery Systems, Switching and Control, Certification Labels, Operational Test.
  • AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 is titled Routine service and maintenance. Its Appendix A sets six-monthly (A2) and yearly (A3) routine service.
  • In NSW, s 81 of the DCFS Regulation 2021 requires each essential fire safety measure to be maintained, and Part 12 requires annual fire safety statements.
  • In Victoria, reg 223 of the Building Regulations 2018 requires the owner to prepare an annual essential safety measures report.
  • NCC Volume One Part E4 sets where emergency lighting and exit signs are required; it does not set maintenance duties.
  • Record every fitting that fails its discharge test and the date it was repaired, so the annual statement or report can rely on the log.

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What is an emergency lighting inspection checklist?

An emergency lighting inspection checklist is a structured document used to verify that emergency lighting and exit sign systems in a building are maintained in reliable working condition and comply with AS 2293.2 (Emergency lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 2: Routine service and maintenance). Emergency lighting systems are essential life safety systems that provide illumination along escape routes and at exits when the normal power supply fails, enabling safe evacuation during emergencies.

This checklist covers visual inspection of emergency luminaires (condition, mounting, cleanliness, lamp operation), exit signs (visibility, illumination, correct directional arrows, pictogram compliance), battery systems (central battery or individual unit batteries), functional discharge testing (simulated mains failure tests), duration testing (full rated-duration tests, typically 90 minutes), and record-keeping requirements. In Australia, the Building Code of Australia (BCA/NCC) mandates emergency lighting in most commercial, industrial and public buildings. AS 2293.2 specifies the inspection and testing frequencies and methods. Building owners and facility managers are legally required to maintain emergency lighting systems and keep inspection records available for the authority having jurisdiction. A standardised checklist ensures consistent inspections aligned with AS 2293.2 requirements.

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Benefits of using this emergency lighting inspection checklist

  • AS 2293.2 compliance: document inspections and tests at the routine service frequencies specified in the standard with auditable records.
  • Life safety assurance: systematic inspections confirm emergency luminaires and exit signs will function during a power failure, protecting building occupants.
  • Battery reliability: scheduled discharge and duration tests identify failing batteries before they leave escape routes unlit during an actual emergency.
  • BCA/NCC compliance: documented maintenance records demonstrate the building owner has met their obligations under the National Construction Code.
  • Insurance and audit readiness: completed inspection checklists satisfy insurer requirements and provide evidence during fire safety audits and building inspections.
  • Reduced liability: regular documented testing demonstrates duty of care and reduces the risk of negligence claims following an emergency.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you digitise emergency lighting checklists in MapTrack, you get:

  • Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
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  • File every completed form against the asset, location or person it covers.
  • Download any completed form as a PDF, with failed answers listed at the top.
  • Fill in forms offline; they upload when the device is back online.
  • Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
  • Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
  • Electronic signatures.
  • Edit forms later without reprinting.
  • Set who can view, fill in or edit forms with user roles.
  • Upload a paper form (PDF, Word, Excel or a photo) and MapTrack's AI builds a digital version for you to check.
  • Schedule fire extinguisher, hydrant and alarm inspections, with an email to the assigned person in the week before each is due.
  • Track emergency evacuation drill records and corrective actions per site.
  • Keep a digital fire safety register, with every inspection filed against its asset or site.

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What to include in an emergency lighting inspection checklist

This emergency lighting inspection checklist covers 10 key areas:

  • Building details: building name, address, floor or zone, number of emergency luminaires, number of exit signs.
  • Inspector details: name, licence or qualification number, company, inspection date, inspection type (monthly/six-monthly/annual).
  • Emergency luminaires: visual condition, mounting security, cleanliness, lamp operation on battery, illumination level on escape route.
  • Exit signs: visibility from required distance, illumination (internally lit or photoluminescent), correct pictogram (running man to AS 2293.1), directional arrows correct for the escape route.
  • Battery system: battery type (central or individual), battery condition, charge indicator, electrolyte level (if applicable), battery age and replacement date.
  • Monthly simulation test: simulate mains failure, confirm all emergency luminaires and exit signs switch to battery, record any failures.
  • Six-monthly discharge test: 90-minute discharge test for individual battery units or as specified for central battery systems, record results per fitting.
  • Annual duration test: full rated-duration test (typically 90 minutes), measure illumination levels on escape routes against AS 2293.1 requirements.
  • Defect register: fitting ID or location, defect description, corrective action, target completion date, responsible person.
  • Sign-off: inspector and building owner or facility manager.

How to use this emergency lighting inspection checklist

  1. Record building and inspection details: Note the building name, floor or zone, inspection date and type (monthly, six-monthly or annual), plus the inspector name, qualifications and licence number if applicable under your state fire safety legislation.
  2. Visually inspect all emergency luminaires and exit signs: Walk every escape route and check each emergency luminaire for physical condition, secure mounting, cleanliness and lamp operation. Check every exit sign for visibility from the required distance, correct running-man pictogram to AS 2293.1 and correct directional arrows.
  3. Perform the simulation or discharge test: For monthly tests, simulate mains failure at the switchboard and confirm all fittings switch to battery within the required changeover time. For six-monthly tests, conduct a full 90-minute discharge test and record pass or fail against each fitting.
  4. Inspect battery systems: Check battery charge indicators, physical condition and age against the replacement schedule for each individual unit. For central battery systems, inspect the charger output, electrolyte level, ventilation and battery room temperature to confirm safe operating conditions.
  5. Record defects and corrective actions: Log every failed or defective fitting in the defect register with its location, fitting ID and the required corrective action. Assign a responsible person and target completion date, and escalate any impairment that reduces escape route illumination below AS 2293.1 minimums.
  6. Sign off and file the record: Sign and date the completed checklist, then file it with the building emergency lighting logbook. Ensure all records are retained and available for the authority having jurisdiction during fire safety audits and essential safety measures inspections.

In MapTrack, you can manage fire safety inspections and equipment checks digitally. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.

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How often should you complete this checklist?

AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 sets the routine service intervals and their tolerances (clause 2.5 and Appendix A); check the current edition for the tasks due at each interval. This checklist is laid out in three tiers. Monthly: a brief visual inspection and simulation test where mains power is interrupted to confirm all emergency luminaires and exit signs switch to battery operation. Six-monthly: a discharge test where battery-operated fittings are run on battery for their rated duration (typically 90 minutes) to confirm battery capacity. Annually: a comprehensive inspection covering all components, a full duration test, and illumination level measurements on escape routes against AS 2293.1 requirements.

Some jurisdictions and fire safety regulations may require more frequent inspections. The building essential safety measures (ESM) or annual fire safety statement may also dictate inspection schedules. In MapTrack you can schedule each inspection tier per building or zone and receive alerts when tests are due ensuring no fitting is missed and records are always current.

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Frequently asked questions

AS 2293.2 (Emergency lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 2: Routine service and maintenance) sets the routine service intervals and their tolerances in clause 2.5 and Appendix A, so check the current edition for the tests due at each interval. This checklist covers simulation tests, discharge tests for the rated duration (typically 90 minutes) and annual comprehensive inspections. The standard also requires a logbook of all inspections, tests, faults and repairs to be maintained and available for inspection.

Emergency lighting inspections should be performed by a competent person with knowledge of AS 2293.2 requirements. In many states and territories, the six-monthly and annual testing must be performed by a licensed electrician or a fire protection practitioner accredited under the relevant state fire safety legislation. Monthly visual inspections may be performed by trained building maintenance staff. Check your state or territory requirements for specific licensing mandates.

Emergency lighting batteries are tested at the routine service intervals in AS/NZS 2293.2, which include a discharge test for the rated duration (typically 90 minutes); check the current edition for each interval. Batteries that fail a discharge test must be replaced promptly. Check the battery design life with the luminaire manufacturer and replace batteries before they reach end of life.

AS 2293.1 covers the design, installation and commissioning requirements for emergency escape lighting and exit signs, including illumination levels, spacing, exit sign types and escape route coverage. AS 2293.2 covers the ongoing inspection, testing and maintenance of those installed systems. AS 2293.1 tells you what to install and where. AS 2293.2 tells you how to keep it working reliably over its lifetime. AS/NZS 2293.1 is a primary referenced document in the National Construction Code (NCC 2022).

Yes, this emergency lighting inspection checklist is completely free to download as a PDF. No account or signup is required. For facility managers wanting to move beyond paper forms, MapTrack offers a digital version that schedules monthly, six-monthly and annual tests, emails the assigned person in the week before each falls due, and stores completed records in the cloud for instant retrieval during fire safety audits.

For each fitting with its own battery, check the charge indicator, the battery's physical condition and its age against the replacement schedule, and record the battery type and replacement date. For a central battery system, inspect the charger output, the electrolyte level where applicable, the ventilation and the battery room temperature. The discharge and duration tests then show whether each battery can still run its fittings for the rated duration, typically 90 minutes, and any battery that fails is logged in the defect register for replacement.

Yes. Each exit sign is checked for visibility from the required distance, its illumination, whether it is internally lit or photoluminescent, the correct running man pictogram under AS/NZS 2293.1, and directional arrows that point the right way along the escape route. Internally lit exit signs are tested with the emergency luminaires when mains failure is simulated, and every result goes on the same checklist, with any failed sign logged in the defect register like any other fitting.

File each completed checklist with the building's emergency lighting logbook, which records every inspection, test, fault and repair. Keep the records available for the authority having jurisdiction during fire safety audits and essential safety measures inspections, and for the building owner or facility manager who signs off each visit. A complete logbook shows each fitting was tested at the required intervals and every fault was fixed, which is what an auditor or insurer will want to see.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The template alone does not establish compliance.

  • Emergency lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 2: Routine service and maintenance

    Edition: AS/NZS 2293.2:2019

    Routine service and maintenance of emergency lighting and exit signs, including the six-monthly and yearly requirements this checklist records.

    • Section 3: Procedures for inspection, survey, test, service and maintenance of emergency lighting and exit signs.
    • 2.5: Frequency of routine service intervals for emergency lighting and exit signs, and the tolerances allowed around them.
    • A2: Six-monthly routine service requirements.
    • A3: Yearly routine service requirements.

    Standards AustraliaSold by the publisher

  • National Construction Code

    Edition: NCC 2025: Victoria from 1 May 2026; ACT and WA from 1 May 2026, each with a 12-month transition period; SA plumbing code from 1 May 2026. NSW, Queensland and SA (building) adopt NCC 2025 on 1 May 2027, with NCC 2022 Amendment 2 applying until then. Tasmania adopted NCC 2025 temporarily from 1 May to 4 June 2026 and lists 1 May 2027 as its adoption date. The NT has not adopted NCC 2025.

    Where emergency lighting, exit and direction signs are required. The NCC sets no maintenance duties; those sit in state law.

    • Vol 1 Part E4: Visibility in an emergency: emergency lighting, exit and direction signs, and emergency warning and intercom systems

    Australian Building Codes Board

  • Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW)

    Edition: Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW), text as at 12 August 2023

    NSW: essential fire safety measures must be maintained, and annual fire safety statements cover them.

    • s 81: Requires the building owner to keep each essential fire safety measure maintained to its standard of performance.
    • Part 12: Fire safety statements, including annual and supplementary fire safety statements for buildings.

    NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office (NSW Legislation)

  • Building Regulations 2018 (Vic)

    Edition: Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), version 031 (in force from 1 September 2026)

    Victoria: owners maintain essential safety measures and prepare an annual essential safety measures report.

    • Part 15: Maintenance of buildings and places of public entertainment, including essential safety measures.
    • reg 216: Requires the owner to comply with the maintenance determination for essential safety measures.
    • reg 223: Requires the owner to prepare an annual essential safety measures report.

    Victorian Government (Victorian Legislation)

Each source was read at its publisher and the page checked on 26 October 2026. The publisher's current text is the authority.

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  <p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#071D49;margin:0;">Free template</p>
  <p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Emergency Lighting Inspection Checklist</p>
  <ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Building details: building name, address, floor or zone, number of emergency luminaires, number of exit signs.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Inspector details: name, licence or qualification number, company, inspection date, inspection type (monthly/six-monthly/annual).</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Emergency luminaires: visual condition, mounting security, cleanliness, lamp operation on battery, illumination level on escape route.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Exit signs: visibility from required distance, illumination (internally lit or photoluminescent), correct pictogram (running man to AS 2293.1), directional arrows correct for the escape route.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Battery system: battery type (central or individual), battery condition, charge indicator, electrolyte level (if applicable), battery age and replacement date.</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Monthly simulation test: simulate mains failure, confirm all emergency luminaires and exit signs switch to battery, record any failures.</li>
  </ul>
  <p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-lighting-inspection-checklist" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Emergency Lighting Inspection Checklist</a> by MapTrack</p>
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The MapTrack emergency lighting inspection checklist contains 21 checks across 6 sections.

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MapTrack Emergency Lighting Inspection Checklist, https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-lighting-inspection-checklist
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MapTrack. (2026). Emergency Lighting Inspection Checklist [Checklist template]. Retrieved from https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-lighting-inspection-checklist

Free to reuse with credit under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. If you’d rather link straight to it, the page is https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-lighting-inspection-checklist.

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