6 ways to automate emergency lighting testing

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues where the manager runs the test themselves and wants the paper log on a phone.

What it is: Emergency lighting testing confirms the lights work when the power fails. This version is the tick-list of 7 test checks, a pass/fail result, and a notes field. It covers triggering the test via the key switch or test facility, confirming each fitting comes on, checking none are damaged or out, and confirming they reset when the mains returns.

In practice: A single-site venue runs the monthly function test. The manager operates the test switch, walks the building confirming each fitting is lit, marks pass or fail, notes one fitting over the back stairs not coming on, and the test is logged with the fault to fix.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so the test covers every fitting the same way. The notes field captures what matters, so problems get fixed rather than forgotten.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (7 test steps)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the test is delegated to whoever is on the rota.

What it is: The simple checklist with a guidance note at the top: a short monthly function test confirms each fitting comes on when triggered, and a longer periodic duration test (often annual) confirms they stay lit long enough to evacuate. The note explains both and reminds staff to let batteries recharge after a duration test.

In practice: A multi-shift venue delegates testing to rota staff. A junior on night shift runs the monthly check. The guidance note on the canvas reminds them which test they're doing and not to rush it, so the test runs properly instead of as a quick tick-off before the next task.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. The difference between monthly function test and annual duration test is spelled out
2. New staff run the test properly without a trainer present
3. The test is consistent whoever runs it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the checklist, so a new starter reads the method as they work, not in a training session weeks ago.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (monthly function test vs duration test)
• 1 checklist (7 test steps)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Venues where the test needs a name against it. Groups where head office wants to know who signed off each site's test, and single sites where a different person tests each month.

What it is: A signed test is the simple checklist plus a signature captured at sign-off. The 7 test checks and the notes field stay the same; the signature confirms who did the test and when they signed it.

In practice: A hotel with a rotating manager schedule. Whoever closes on test day works the 7-step list, marks pass or fail, notes any faults, and signs. The next morning the area manager knows exactly who to ask about the fault, not just that someone left a note.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A signature naming who did the test, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the test was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. When a fitting fails next month, the conversation starts with who tested it, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (7 test steps)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof the test was done to standard, not just a ticked list, whether for a fire officer, head office, or their own peace of mind.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a photo of an emergency light unit lit during the test, taken on completion as a record alongside the ticks. One specific, telling spot rather than a vague wide shot.

In practice: A multi-site operator photographs one lit fitting during each test. Photos stack up in the workflow record. Six months later when an insurer reviews the fire log, there's photo evidence for each test on each site, showing the lights actually came on.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of an emergency light unit lit during the test, captured at the time
2. Proof that the test was actually run, not just logged
3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A monthly tick is easy to keep up without operating the switch. A photo of a lit fitting proves the test really happened, and a single named spot is easy to shoot and easy to review.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (7 test steps)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of an emergency light unit lit during the test

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Venues where the test photo gets taken but nobody looks at it. Multi-site groups where head office can't review every site's photos.

What it is: A photo-checked test is the simple checklist plus a photo of an emergency light unit lit during the test that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: is the emergency light in the photo fully illuminated and functioning? A single named spot is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide shot of the whole venue is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets addressed before everyone leaves.

In practice: A three-site hotel group closes testing at 11pm. The closing manager photographs one lit fitting as always. Poppi reads the photo: fitting lit, ready, verdict yes, nothing changes. On a rushed Friday night the photo shows a dim or flickering light. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The light in the photo appears dim or not fully illuminated"). The manager checks that fitting in person and runs the test again while still on site.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of an emergency light that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at test photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the tester leaving. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next morning can only record that the test was poor; Poppi catching it at 11pm gets it fixed that night.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (7 test steps)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of an emergency light unit lit during the test
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With a team alert if testing runs overdue

Who it's for: Venues with a testing deadline. Late-night testing windows, shared buildings with compliance deadlines, and groups where a missed test is a real compliance risk.

What it is: An overdue-test alert is the simple checklist plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the workflow's deadline. If the test checks aren't finished by the time they're due, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so the test gets done before anyone leaves the site. It watches the deadline, so it catches the test that quietly got abandoned half-done, not just the one that never started.

In practice: A hotel group operates 7 locations and requires lighting tests to be completed by end of shift. On a busy evening the team is stretched and it's easy to defer the test to tomorrow. With this version, if the test isn't finished by end of shift, the team chat gets a message, so the shift lead catches the incomplete test that evening rather than the next shift finding it overdue.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A message in the team chat if the test isn't finished on time
2. A catch for the test that got postponed or forgotten, not just the one that never started
3. A record of when the test was due, next to when it was actually done
4. The manager finds out that shift, not the next day when compliance is overdue

Why it works: The alert is tied to the test deadline, so an unfinished test raises its own hand. Nobody has to notice it's missing; the deadline does.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (7 test steps)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the testing isn't finished by deadline)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple checklist plus one addition, so pick the additions your venue actually needs.

Do other people run the test?

If you test yourself and know both the monthly and duration tests, the plain list is enough: #1. The moment rota staff do it, the guidance needs to be on the screen: #2.

Does the test need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed it off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof, #4 adds a photo of one telling spot like a lit emergency light.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Does the test have to be finished by a set time?

If a stretched team sometimes leaves the test half-done or defers it to tomorrow, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the deadline passes with the test unfinished.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same list.

Related workflows

• Fire exit check - the escape routes this lighting illuminates
• Fire alarm testing - the weekly alarm test
• Fire door check - keeping fire doors working

Conclusion

Emergency lighting only earns its keep in the seconds the power fails, so an untested fault stays invisible until the worst moment. A recorded test turns it into something you can prove. Every version above is the same simple list plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your venue needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your own emergency lighting test on Pilla.

===SQLDATA=== PHOTO_INSTRUCTION: Take a photo of an emergency light unit fully illuminated during the test. JUDGE_QUESTION: Is the emergency light in the photo fully illuminated and functioning? ALERT_MESSAGE: Emergency lighting testing isn't finished by the deadline. Please complete testing before end of shift. ===END===