Exit and Emergency Lighting Testing WA 2026 - Get Quotes

Which Buildings Need Exit and Emergency Lighting

The National Construction Code decides which buildings need emergency lighting and exit signs, based mainly on the building class, its size and the path people take to get out. Most commercial and public buildings are covered, including offices, shops, warehouses, factories, schools, childcare centres, hospitals, aged care, hotels, backpacker hostels and the common areas of apartment buildings. Requirements depend on details such as the number of storeys, the floor area, the distance to an exit and whether stairways and passageways are enclosed. Standalone houses are not generally required to have them, although some owners of large, multi level homes choose to fit them near stairs. Where the code requires the system, AS/NZS 2293.1 sets out how it must be designed and installed. The building surveyor checks the design as part of the building permit for new work.

Owners of existing buildings often inherit systems designed years ago under older rules. Those systems still need to be kept working as originally approved, even if the current code would ask for something different in a new building. Changes to the building, such as new internal walls in an office fit out or a converted warehouse mezzanine, can leave areas without proper coverage, and those changes normally need the design reviewed as part of the building approval. The building's fire safety documentation should show what was installed and approved. Where records are missing, a qualified tester can survey the building and document what exists.

The Six Monthly Inspection and Discharge Test

AS/NZS 2293.2 sets out how emergency lighting is inspected and maintained, and the core routine is commonly carried out every six months. The tester first checks each fitting visually, looking for damage, missing diffusers, faded or broken exit sign panels and indicator lights that show the battery is charging. Then comes the discharge test. The mains supply to the emergency lighting is switched off, and every fitting must light up on battery and stay lit for the full rated duration, typically at least 90 minutes. Fittings that go dark early, fail to light at all or dim badly are recorded as failures.

After the test, power is restored and the batteries begin recharging, which usually takes around a day to reach full capacity. During that recharge period, the system would not run for its full duration if a real outage happened, so testers usually schedule discharge tests for times when the building has low occupancy, such as evenings or weekends. Failed fittings are listed for repair, and batteries or fittings are replaced by a licensed electrician. Each result is written into the logbook against the fitting's location or number, and some fittings need a retest after repair before the system is considered compliant again. Most providers send a short report listing every failure and the recommended fix within a few days of the visit.

Logbooks, Records and Evidence

Every emergency lighting system should have a logbook or equivalent record, kept on site and available to building owners, managers and inspectors. It lists each fitting by number and location, the date of every inspection and discharge test, the result for each fitting, the faults found, the repairs made and the name of the tester. Many providers now use electronic records, with a printed summary kept on site, and some buildings use QR codes on each fitting linked to its history. A logbook that stops a few years ago, or that records only a total number of fittings without individual results, is a warning sign for owners and buyers.

Good records make testing faster and cheaper, because the tester knows exactly how many fittings to find and where they are. They also show patterns, such as batteries failing in one hot part of the building or fittings repeatedly damaged in a loading dock. When a building is sold, leased or taken over by a new strata manager, the logbook is one of the documents that should change hands. Insurers and local government officers may ask to see it after an incident or during an inspection. Keep a copy off site as well, in case the on site book is lost or damaged. Photos of each page after every test are an easy backup.

Batteries, Heat and Fitting Life

Batteries are the heart of every self contained fitting and the most common cause of failure. Older fittings typically use nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride batteries, while many modern LED fittings use lithium iron phosphate, which tends to last longer and hold capacity better. Every chemistry ages, and most batteries in emergency fittings need replacing every few years, with the manufacturer's data giving a guide. Heat is the main enemy, and a fitting mounted in a ceiling space that reaches very high temperatures in a Perth summer, or in a warehouse roof in Kalgoorlie or Karratha, will lose battery life much faster than one in a cool corridor.

When a battery fails the discharge test, replacing just the battery is often the cheapest fix, typically $40 to $120 per fitting including labour. Where the fitting is old, uses obsolete fluorescent tubes or needs a battery that is hard to source, replacing the whole fitting with a modern LED unit usually makes more sense and costs $150 to $450 depending on the type. Replacing batteries in bulk across a building on a planned cycle is often cheaper than chasing individual failures every six months. Used batteries should go to a battery recycling service rather than the general bin. Warehouse and high bay fittings may need a lift or scaffold for access, which adds to the cost of every replacement, and grouping high level work into a single visit keeps hire costs down.

Exit Signs, Pictograms and Visibility

Exit signs in Australia now use the green running man pictogram, often with a directional arrow, rather than the older word EXIT on its own, and new or replacement signs must meet AS/NZS 2293.3. Signs must be visible from the required viewing distance, which is why large open areas such as warehouses and shopping centres need bigger signs than corridors. A sign that has faded, cracked or lost its arrow panel should be replaced, even if its battery still works. Signs also need a clear line of sight, so racking, displays, banners and hanging decorations should never block them. During testing, the tester checks both the illumination and the legibility of every sign. Signs above doors that were later relocated are a surprisingly common find.

Directional signs guide people towards exits that cannot be seen from where they are standing, and the arrows must point the right way after any change to the floor layout. Older fluorescent exit signs are steadily being replaced with LED versions, which use less energy, last longer and are brighter on battery, and in buildings with many old signs, replacing them in one project often costs less per sign than piecemeal replacement. Photoluminescent signs, which glow after absorbing light, are used in some situations but have their own rules and limitations. Where signage changes are part of a wider lighting upgrade, lighting installation specialists can combine the work.

Monitored and Automatic Testing Systems

Larger buildings increasingly use monitored emergency lighting systems, where each fitting is connected to a central controller by wiring or wireless communication. The controller can run discharge tests automatically, record the result for every fitting and report failures to a building manager or service provider, often through a web portal. AS/NZS 2293.2 recognises these systems, provided they are set up and maintained correctly. They remove the need for someone to walk every floor at the end of a discharge test and give a clear record of each fitting's performance over time. Failures still need someone to replace batteries or fittings, but the system tells them exactly where to go.

Monitored systems cost more to install, often $250 to $600 per fitting including the controller, so they make most sense in large buildings, campuses, hospitals and multi site portfolios. Retrofitting an existing building can be done in stages, often starting when fittings are due for replacement anyway. The controller and its communication links must be maintained too, since a system that silently stops reporting is worse than a manual one. Owners should check that the system's records meet the standard and that someone is responsible for reading the reports. Monitoring systems often share network infrastructure with other building services, and structured cabling designers can plan the connections.

Strata Buildings and Apartments

Apartment buildings across Perth, from high rise towers in the CBD, East Perth and South Perth to walk up blocks in Scarborough, Subiaco and Mount Lawley, have emergency lighting and exit signs in common property such as stairwells, lobbies, corridors, car parks and plant rooms. Under the Strata Titles Act 1985, the strata company is responsible for maintaining common property, which includes keeping these safety systems working, and in practice, the strata manager usually arranges six monthly testing through a fire services or electrical contractor, some of whom use white label subcontracting to cover every building in their portfolio. Costs are shared among owners through the levies. Owners at general meetings should expect to see testing and repairs reported.

Older apartment blocks often have fittings that have never been upgraded, with batteries failing regularly and exit signs faded or broken. A planned replacement program, spread across a few years, is usually more economical than repairing failures one at a time. Car parks deserve particular attention, because fittings there are exposed to dust, vehicle fumes and knocks, and dark car parks in an outage are a genuine hazard. Tenants and owners should report fittings that are damaged or not glowing on their charge indicator, and security lighting in the same car parks and entries can be reviewed alongside emergency lighting through security lighting installation specialists.

Warehouses, Schools, Camps and Care Facilities

Warehouses and distribution centres across Perth's industrial areas, from Hazelmere and Forrestfield to Canning Vale and Jandakot, have high ceilings, long aisles and racking that makes emergency lighting harder to test and maintain. Fittings mounted high up need an elevated work platform or scissor lift for testing and replacement, which adds cost to every visit. Forklift damage and dust shorten fitting life. Racking changes can block signs and lights, so layouts should be checked after every change. Many operators choose monitored systems in large warehouses to cut down on elevated work. The saving on lift hire alone can repay part of the system cost over several years.

Schools, childcare centres, hospitals and aged care facilities have vulnerable occupants who may need help to evacuate, which makes reliable emergency lighting especially important. Testing is usually scheduled during holidays or after hours to avoid disruption, and staged carefully in buildings occupied around the clock. Fly in fly out (FIFO) camps and mine site accommodation in the Pilbara and the Goldfields have hundreds of fittings spread across accommodation blocks, messes and offices, often tested as part of the camp maintenance contract alongside microwave leakage testing of camp kitchens and crib rooms. Extreme heat in those camps shortens battery life, so replacement cycles are shorter than in Perth. Businesses that test emergency lighting often schedule it alongside single phase test and tag, so both registers are updated on the same visit.

Emergency Plans, Wardens and Evacuation Drills

Emergency lighting only works as intended when people know where to go. Businesses in WA must have emergency procedures under work health and safety law, and larger workplaces usually appoint wardens, run evacuation drills and display evacuation diagrams on each floor. A drill is also a useful moment to check the emergency lighting from a user's point of view, and wardens walking the exit paths notice signs hidden behind new partitions, dark stairwells and exit doors that stick. Those observations should go straight to whoever maintains the system. Coordinating a drill with a scheduled discharge test is rarely practical, because the building would be left with drained batteries, so keep the two on separate days.

Evacuation diagrams should show exits and assembly points that match the current layout, and they need updating after fit outs just as the lighting does. Staff with mobility, vision or hearing impairments may need personal emergency evacuation plans, and good emergency lighting in stairs and refuge areas supports those plans. Night shifts and weekend staff deserve the same briefing as the day crew, because an outage at 2am is far more disorienting than one at midday. Keep the emergency plan, the evacuation diagrams and the emergency lighting logbook together, so managers can see the whole picture. Fire safety and emergency preparedness information for WA communities and businesses is available from DFES, the state's fire and emergency services department.

Regional Considerations Across Western Australia

Perth's CBD and major office hubs hold the largest concentration of emergency lighting, much of it in older towers where fittings have been replaced piecemeal over decades. Shopping centres, from large regional centres to strip shops, have extensive systems and frequent tenancy changes. Suburban schools, medical centres and apartment blocks make up a large share of routine testing. Coastal buildings from Mandurah to Joondalup see salt air affect fittings in car parks and external stairwells.

The Pilbara, the Kimberley and the Goldfields bring extreme heat, which shortens battery life, and cyclone season in the north can bring long power outages that test emergency lighting for real. Regional centres such as Karratha, Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Bunbury and Albany have fire services and electrical contractors who handle testing locally. Smaller towns may rely on contractors who visit on a regular circuit. Buildings used seasonally, such as holiday accommodation in the South West and along the Coral Coast, should be tested before the peak season begins. Buildings that have had repeated outages or electrical faults may need wider checks, and an electrical safety inspection can review the whole installation.

What Emergency Lighting Testing Costs in WA

Six monthly inspection and discharge testing typically costs $8 to $20 per fitting in Western Australia, with lower rates for larger buildings and a minimum charge of $150 to $300 for small sites. After hours testing, which is often needed to manage the recharge period, can add 25 to 50 per cent. Warehouses with high bay fittings cost more because of elevated work platforms. Logbook setup or replacement usually runs $50 to $150.

Repairs are priced on top, with replacement batteries typically $40 to $120 per fitting fitted and new LED exit signs $180 to $450. New emergency lights usually cost $150 to $350 each installed. Monitored testing systems run about $250 to $600 per fitting including the controller. For other electrical work found during testing, the rates of electrical services businesses give a useful comparison.

What to Look Out For

Look twice at providers who only check that fittings light up without running a full discharge test. Ask whether results are recorded for every fitting in a logbook. Make sure repairs are done by licensed electrical workers. Check that the provider plans testing around the recharge period so the building is not left with reduced lighting during busy times.

Watch for old logbooks with gaps, signs pointing to walls after fit outs and fittings that have not been replaced in many years. Get a written quote for repairs before work starts. Keep a copy of every report with the building's safety records. Where a dispute with a provider cannot be resolved, WA's consumer protection agency within the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (LGIRS) offers guidance on what to do next.

How to Get Useful Quotes

Count the exit signs and emergency lights, or estimate by floor, and note any high bay fittings or central battery systems. Describe the building type and how many floors or zones it has. Mention whether a logbook exists and when the last test was done. Include the suburb or town and any times the building cannot be tested.

Ask each provider for the per fitting price, minimum charge and after hours rates. Check the cost of common repairs, such as batteries and replacement signs. Ask whether they can combine emergency lighting with other testing on the same visit, such as three phase test and tag for workshop equipment. Strata managers should request a staged upgrade plan for older buildings alongside the testing quote.