Free checklist
Emergency lighting and exit signs quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly emergency lighting round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 101, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
- Items
- 4
- Photos required
- 6
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The building engineer walking the egress path on the quarterly round, holding the test button and recording what lights and what doesn't.
When in the schedule
Every quarter, walked along the actual egress route floor by floor so the coverage is checked where people would travel, not just where the fixtures are easy to reach.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Function test
- 2 photos
Push-to-test operated on each unit along the route
Test button held on each unit and combo exit/emergency fixture, both lamp heads striking and staying lit for the button test, pilot LED showing charge.
- 1 photo
Battery-condition indicators observed
Charge/fault indicator on each unit in its normal state, no fixture showing a fault LED or an obviously dim head that signals a failing battery.
Coverage and aim
- 2 photos
Lamp heads present and aimed along the egress path
Both heads present on each unit and aimed to cover the path of egress, stair, and any change of direction, no head twisted to a wall or ceiling, no missing lamp.
- 1 photo
Exit signs legible, illuminated and correctly directed
Exit faces evenly illuminated and legible from the approach, directional arrows pointing the correct way for the route, no dark segment or wrong-way sign.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Push-to-test held for a second and the head flickers on, logged as good, when a tired battery would have dropped it in under a minute of real load.
- A lamp head knocked out of aim during other work so it now lights a wall instead of the stair or the corridor turn it was set for.
- Exit sign lit but the face washed out or the arrow pointing the wrong way after a ceiling change, so it reads fine at a glance and misleads under smoke.
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 6 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Verified against
Common questions
- What does this emergency lighting and exit signs quarterly checklist cover?
- 4 items across 2 sections, covering function test, coverage and aim. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The building engineer walking the egress path on the quarterly round, holding the test button and recording what lights and what doesn't.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Every quarter, walked along the actual egress route floor by floor so the coverage is checked where people would travel, not just where the fixtures are easy to reach.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- 6 of the 4 items call for photo evidence. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a emergency lighting and exit signs quarterly inspection?
- Push-to-test held for a second and the head flickers on, logged as good, when a tired battery would have dropped it in under a minute of real load. A lamp head knocked out of aim during other work so it now lights a wall instead of the stair or the corridor turn it was set for. Exit sign lit but the face washed out or the arrow pointing the wrong way after a ceiling change, so it reads fine at a glance and misleads under smoke.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.
Related checklists
2642 items and 4211 photo requirements in total.