I was involved in the inspection of premises seeking the grant of an Entertainment Licence. The Licence was granted by the local council even though the emergency lighting in the premises was very much below standard and there was information on the “certificate” to support that determination.
It was clear that the document was not effectively scrutinised by the client or by the council. Both claim to have read no further than the first page which contains a rather formal declaration;
“I hereby certify that the emergency lighting system at the above premises has been inspected and tested by me in accordance with BS5266-8 and to the best of my knowledge and belief, the installation complies with the recommendations given in BS5266-1 2005, BSEN 1838 1999 and BS5266-8 2004 except as stated in Section D”
The model form in BS5266-1 2005 on which the document is based was perhaps not intended to be employed where defects in the system exist but it does, confusingly for some, refer to items of non-compliance.
Perhaps it would be reasonable to consider changing the document title to best reflect the purpose of the inspection and test. Taking a lead from BS7671 2008 a more appropriate title might be “Emergency Lighting Condition Report”!
