Checklists by equipment
2 lists · 8 items · 12 photosEmergency lighting and exit signs maintenance checklists
Emergency lighting and exit signs maintenance checklists for the quarterly and annual rounds: 2 free lists, 8 items and 12 photo requirements, each item naming what to look for and the photo that proves it. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 101; the edition in force is the AHJ's call on each project.
The emergency lighting and exit signs rounds
Emergency lighting and exit signs QuarterlyEmergency lighting and exit signs quarterly maintenance checklistPush-to-test function, lamp head aim along the egress path and exit sign legibility observed on the quarterly round4 items6 photosEmergency lighting and exit signs AnnualEmergency lighting and exit signs annual maintenance checklistFull-duration discharge test observed and the run recorded, the deeper annual pass the button test can't reach4 items6 photos
Where each walk sits in the schedule
- Emergency lighting and exit signs quarterly maintenance checklistquarterly
- 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. Run by: The building engineer walking the egress path on the quarterly round, holding the test button and recording what lights and what doesn't.
- Emergency lighting and exit signs annual maintenance checklistannual
- Once a year, scheduled when the extended discharge can run without leaving occupied areas in the dark, and coordinated so units are recharged and back in service before the space is used. Run by: The building engineer or the electrical service tech running the full-duration discharge, recording start, end and any early dropouts on the site record.
What most often fails on an emergency lighting and exit signs
- 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.
- Discharge started but never walked at the end of the run, so a unit that quit partway through the required duration is recorded as having passed.
- One or two heads that dropped early during the discharge noted but not tracked to a battery replacement, so the same units fail again next year.
- Units cut short and switched back before they are fully recharged, so the next real outage finds them only partly restored.
Verified against
Families only, never clause numbers. Adoption varies by jurisdiction; confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
Common questions
- Which emergency lighting and exit signs maintenance rounds do these checklists cover?
- Emergency lighting and exit signs quarterly maintenance checklist (quarterly): 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. Emergency lighting and exit signs annual maintenance checklist (annual): Once a year, scheduled when the extended discharge can run without leaving occupied areas in the dark, and coordinated so units are recharged and back in service before the space is used.
- Who runs the emergency lighting and exit signs maintenance round?
- The building engineer walking the egress path on the quarterly round, holding the test button and recording what lights and what doesn't. The building engineer or the electrical service tech running the full-duration discharge, recording start, end and any early dropouts on the site record.
- What most often fails on an emergency lighting and exit signs?
- 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. Discharge started but never walked at the end of the run, so a unit that quit partway through the required duration is recorded as having passed.
- Which standards is emergency lighting and exit signs work verified against?
- NFPA 101, published by the National Fire Protection Association. Adoption varies by jurisdiction. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
- Can I run these checklists in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace and load any of the 2 lists (8 items in total). The Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached, and approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.