Emergency and Exit Lighting Testing SWMS

For electrical contractors, fire safety and building maintenance businesses that inspect and test emergency and exit lighting. It follows the job in order, from the building’s records and test plan through access equipment, isolation, the discharge test, battery and lamp replacement and the log. It does not cover fixed wiring, which needs the Electrical Installation SWMS.

Routine testing of emergency lighting is not clearly high risk construction work, so WHS Regulation s 299 requires a SWMS only if the job is construction work (s 289 includes testing an essential service in relation to a structure but excludes minor testing) and is high risk construction work, for example a fall of more than 2 metres, work on or near energised electrical installations or moving powered mobile plant, which are the items to tick if they apply; otherwise this works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment.

New to SWMS? Read What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?

What Is Covered In Our Emergency and Exit Lighting Testing SWMS?

After the standard pre-start checks, the job steps run from “Plan the job, get the building records and agree the test arrangements” to “Pack up, remove waste and leave the site”. The hazards and controls include:

• Falls from ladders and step platforms
• EWP tip-over, crush and fall from the basket
• Electric shock when opening luminaires
• Supply switched back on during work
• Loss of lighting while people are in the building
• Units left flat or in test mode after the test
• Battery leaks, burns and fire
• Broken tubes and mercury
• Dropped tools and covers above public areas
• Asbestos in ceilings and fittings
• Working alone or after hours
• Blocked exits and fire doors

High Risk Construction Work

None of the high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this job is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick any that apply on your site.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Electrical work licence that authorises the work, for anyone who performs or supervises electrical work, which includes testing, replacing, repairing or maintaining electrical equipment and connecting or disconnecting supply wiring, unless an exclusion in section 18(2) of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 applies (for example replacing a light bulb, or replacing a component that a person without electrical expertise can safely replace); the Act does not list battery packs, drivers or test buttons (Electrical Safety Act 2002 ss 18 and 55)
• Competent person, trained or experienced in the task, to test whether a circuit is energised and to carry out the discharge test and read the results
• Competence in rescue and resuscitation for every worker who does, or helps with, electrical work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 s 211)
• Boom-type elevating work platform high risk work licence where the boom length is 11 metres or more; training and verified competency for any other EWP or scissor lift used
• Training in the building’s emergency lighting test procedure, the fire alarm arrangements and the isolation and lock-out procedure in use
• Instruction on lone and after-hours work: check-in times, how to call for help and what to do if a check-in is missed
• First aid equipment and trained first aiders (or access to them), as the first aid assessment shows the work needs
• Site or building induction, including exits, assembly point and restricted areas
• General construction induction training card (white card) only when the work is construction work, for example commissioning on a construction site
• Asbestos awareness training (WHS Regulation s 445) where workers could disturb ceilings or fittings in older buildings

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 78 to 80 (managing the risk of a fall and rescue), ss 54 and 55 (falling objects), ss 44 to 46 (personal protective equipment) and s 48 (remote or isolated work)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 289 and 291 (construction work and high risk construction work, where the testing is construction work), ss 306K to 306M (ladders) and ss 315B to 315M (falling objects) in construction work
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): ss 18 and 55 (electrical work and the licence)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): s 195 (electrical work on or near energised equipment), s 196 (testing whether equipment is energised), ss 197 and 198 (preventing re-energising; locks and warning signs), ss 199 to 204 (energised electrical work needs its own SWMS) and s 211 (rescue and resuscitation training)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (elevating work platforms)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021 (emergency lighting, lighting and isolated work)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (batteries and cleaning products)
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• AS/NZS 2293.1 Emergency escape lighting and exit signs for buildings – Part 1: System design, installation and operation (named in Queensland approved codes of practice); the building’s testing schedule sets the test frequency and duration

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (18 A4 landscape pages). Type your business, client and job details once and they fill in on every page, with a space for your logo
• 10 job steps for this work, each with its hazards, controls, initial and residual risk scores and the person responsible
• PPE listed for this job: non-conductive safety footwear with good grip; safety glasses, and a face shield when handling damaged batteries or breaking tubes
• Emergency arrangements for: electric shock or arc flash, fall from a ladder or EWP and battery leak, fire or fumes
• Plus the parts every Work Safety QLD SWMS shares, from the s 291 checklist to the worker sign-on sheet (see the layout in our free SWMS template)

Adjust it for your site, plant and crew, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.

Checked against the Queensland laws and codes of practice listed above. Last reviewed October 2026.