BS EN 50172:2024 is the British and European Standard covering the installation, verification, operation, testing, maintenance and documentation of emergency escape lighting systems.
In simple terms, if BS EN 1838 is concerned with how emergency lighting should perform, BS EN 50172 is concerned with making sure the system is properly installed, checked, maintained and kept ready to operate when required.
The current edition was published in July 2024 and replaced the previous version of the standard.
What Does BS EN 50172 Cover?
BS EN 50172:2024 applies to emergency escape lighting systems in non-residential buildings.
It covers areas including:
- Electrical installation requirements
- Initial verification
- System operation
- Maintenance
- Testing
- Documentation
- System handover
- Automatic test systems
- Recording of results
Emergency escape lighting includes escape-route lighting, open-area or anti-panic lighting, high-risk task-area lighting and illuminated escape-route safety signs.
This makes BS EN 50172 particularly relevant once an emergency lighting system has moved beyond the design stage.
How Does BS EN 50172 Relate to BS 5266-1?
The standards work together.
A useful way of looking at them is:
BS 5266-1:2025
Provides the UK code of practice for how emergency lighting should be applied within premises.
BS EN 1838:2024
Sets the lighting performance requirements.
BS EN 50172:2024
Deals with the installation, verification, operation, testing, maintenance and documentation of emergency escape lighting systems.
BS 5266-1:2025 was revised partly to reflect changes made to both BS EN 1838 and BS EN 50172.
Why Is BS EN 50172 Important?
An emergency lighting system can be correctly designed when it is installed and still become ineffective later.
For example:
- Batteries deteriorate
- Luminaires fail
- Escape routes change
- Rooms are altered
- Equipment is disconnected
- Records are not maintained
- Defects identified during testing are never repaired
For emergency lighting to remain effective, it needs ongoing inspection, testing and maintenance.
BS EN 50172 provides the framework for making sure that happens.
What Changed in BS EN 50172:2024?
BSI describes the 2024 edition as a complete rewrite of the previous standard.
The revision provides more detail on the electrical installation supporting emergency escape lighting and updates references to newer standards and technologies.
Several areas have been significantly expanded.
System Handover and Documentation
The 2024 edition introduces new requirements relating to system handover and documentation.
This is particularly relevant to building owners and duty holders.
When a new emergency lighting system is installed, responsibility for it eventually passes from the installer or commissioning engineer to the person responsible for the premises.
That handover needs to include sufficient information for the system to be properly operated, tested and maintained.
Simply knowing that emergency lights have been installed is not enough.
The person responsible for the building should have appropriate records showing what has been installed and how it is intended to operate.
Automatic Test Systems
The new edition also contains additional requirements for automatic test systems.
These systems are increasingly common in modern buildings.
Instead of somebody manually operating a test switch and visually checking every emergency luminaire, an automatic test system can carry out scheduled checks and report faults.
Automatic testing can make management considerably easier, particularly in larger premises.
However, an automated system still needs to be correctly configured, maintained and monitored.
An automatic test system does not remove the need for somebody to take responsibility for identified defects.
Testing and Recording
Commissioning, testing and recording procedures have also been expanded to reflect a wider range of emergency lighting systems and applications.
This reinforces an important point for duty holders:
Testing the emergency lights is only part of the job.
Results need to be recorded and defects need to be acted upon.
A test that identifies a failed luminaire but results in no repair provides very little safety benefit.
Newer Battery Technologies
The 2024 standard also includes references to newer battery technologies.
Emergency lighting systems are no longer limited to the battery technologies traditionally associated with older self-contained emergency luminaires.
The updated standard reflects the increasing range of products and systems now being used.
Additional Guidance on Duration and Measurements
The new edition includes informative annexes covering:
- Rated duration
- Activation times
- On-site luminance measurements
- On-site illuminance measurements
These support designers, commissioning engineers and inspectors carrying out more detailed technical assessment of a system.
Does BS EN 50172 Cover Standby Lighting?
Not directly.
BS EN 50172:2024 is specifically concerned with emergency escape lighting systems.
Standby lighting itself falls outside its scope.
However, a standby lighting system can also perform an emergency escape lighting function if it satisfies the relevant emergency-lighting requirements.
This distinction has become more important following the publication of BS 5266-1:2025, which now provides broader guidance covering emergency escape lighting, local area lighting and standby lighting.
Do Health and Safety Managers Need to Know BS EN 50172?
Yes, although not necessarily at the level of an emergency-lighting engineer.
BSI specifically identifies building facilities staff among the intended users of BS EN 50172.
A health and safety manager, facilities manager or other duty holder probably does not need to understand every electrical installation requirement contained within the standard.
However, the management requirements are directly relevant.
If you are responsible for premises, you should understand that emergency lighting needs to be:
- Properly commissioned
- Regularly tested
- Maintained
- Documented
- Reviewed when circumstances change
- Repaired when faults are identified
These are management issues, not simply electrical-design issues.
What Records Should a Duty Holder Have?
The precise documentation will depend on the installation, but a duty holder should normally be able to establish:
- What emergency lighting system is installed
- Which areas and escape routes it covers
- When it was commissioned
- When routine tests have been completed
- Whether duration tests have been carried out
- What defects have been identified
- What corrective work has been completed
- Whether alterations to the premises have affected the system
These records are commonly maintained in an emergency lighting logbook or equivalent digital system.
Where automatic testing is used, the resulting reports should still be reviewed rather than simply allowed to accumulate unnoticed.
How Often Should Emergency Lighting Be Tested?
Emergency lighting requires routine testing to demonstrate that it remains operational.
This generally includes regular short functional checks and periodic full-duration testing.
The exact testing arrangements should follow the applicable standards, manufacturer’s instructions and the emergency lighting strategy for the premises.
For duty holders, the important point is that testing should be planned, recorded and acted upon.
We cover this in more detail in our guide to how often emergency lighting should be tested.
What Happens If a Test Identifies a Fault?
A failed emergency light should not simply be noted in the logbook and forgotten.
The significance of the defect should be assessed and corrective action taken.
For example, failure of a single luminaire in an area containing substantial overlapping emergency-lighting coverage may present a different level of risk to failure of the only emergency luminaire serving a staircase.
The priority for repair should therefore reflect the effect of the defect on the emergency lighting provision.
Is BS EN 50172 a Legal Requirement?
BS EN 50172 is a British Standard rather than legislation.
Fire safety legislation places duties on those responsible for premises to provide and maintain appropriate fire precautions.
BS EN 50172 provides recognised technical guidance for ensuring that emergency escape lighting systems are correctly installed, verified, tested and maintained.
As with other British Standards, the distinction is:
Legislation creates the duty.
Standards provide recognised technical guidance for meeting it.
Do I Need to Buy BS EN 50172?
For most general health and safety managers or duty holders, probably not.
If you are designing, installing, commissioning, inspecting or technically assessing emergency lighting systems, access to the full standard is much more important.
For someone responsible for managing premises, the more important requirement is to understand what should be happening.
You should be able to ask:
- Has the system been properly commissioned?
- Do we have the correct documentation?
- Are tests being carried out?
- Are the results recorded?
- Are faults being repaired?
- Has the system been reviewed following building alterations?
- Who is responsible for managing it?
You do not need to become an emergency-lighting engineer to ask the right questions.
Summary
BS EN 50172:2024 deals with the installation, verification, operation, maintenance, testing and documentation of emergency escape lighting systems.
The 2024 edition was substantially revised and includes expanded requirements covering handover, documentation, automatic testing, modern battery technologies and system verification.
For a duty holder or health and safety manager, this standard is particularly relevant because it deals with what happens after the emergency lighting has been designed and installed.
A compliant emergency lighting system is not something that can simply be fitted and forgotten.
It needs to remain operational, be tested, have its results recorded and have defects rectified throughout the life of the building.
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