How to choose industrial lighting for hazardous Environments

In industrial environments, lighting isn’t just a necessity — it’s critical for ensuring both safety and productivity. Where the safety industry is expanding at an unprecedented rate, the question for new buyers is how to choose the right industrial lighting that meets the demands of a hazardous environment. Whether you’re working in a chemical plant, oil refinery, or any other industrial facility with explosive gases, dust, or vapours, selecting the correct explosion-proof lighting system is key to safer work sites. 

The Science Behind Industrial Lighting Selection

Selecting explosion-proof lighting for industrial environments requires careful consideration of technical and scientific factors. Object properties, such as material types, colour, texture, and reflectivity, directly affect how light behaves and impacts visibility. For instance, reflective surfaces can cause glare, while rough textures may absorb light, necessitating higher-intensity lighting. These variables are especially important when choosing lighting for machine vision tasks in automated or inspection-driven environments, where clear visibility is crucial.

Machine vision lighting systems demand precise and uniform lighting to capture high-contrast images for quality control and inspections. In hazardous settings, explosion-proof lighting needs to support these systems by using specialised LEDs that enhance contrast, minimise glare, and improve defect detection. SharpEagle’s explosion-proof lighting solutions meet these needs, offering the necessary illumination for enhanced safety, accuracy, and operational efficiency in industrial environments.

Common Challenges for Lighting in Industrial Environments

Industrial environments pose several unique challenges for lighting systems. Unlike commercial spaces, industrial facilities often have to deal with harsh physical conditions such as extreme temperatures, vibrations, moisture, and chemical exposure. These conditions can significantly impact the performance of standard lighting systems, making them unsuitable for hazardous environments.

Some common challenges for lighting in industrial environments include:

1. Glare: Glare occurs when bright lights shine directly into workers’ eyes, leading to eye strain, fatigue, and even temporary blindness. This impairs vision and increases the risk of accidents and injuries, especially in environments requiring high precision.
2. Shadowing: Improperly placed lights can create shadows, hindering workers’ ability to see clearly. In high-risk areas where machinery or hazardous materials are involved, shadowing can lead to accidents or operational errors.
3. Flickering: Flickering lights not only cause discomfort like eye strain and headaches but may also signal underlying electrical issues. These problems could lead to fire hazards or disrupt work, affecting both safety and productivity.
4. UV Radiation: Certain lighting types, such as mercury vapour lamps, emit harmful UV radiation. Prolonged exposure can damage workers' eyes and increase the risk of skin cancer, making it crucial to choose UV-free lighting options.
5. Electrical Hazards: Outdated or poorly maintained lighting systems can present significant electrical hazards, including the potential for fires or electrocution. Regular inspection and maintenance are vital to mitigate these risks and ensure workplace safety.

Explosion-proof lighting systems are designed to address these challenges by providing robust and safe illumination while ensuring minimal risk in hazardous environments.

Read More: Explosion-Proof Lights: The Smart Choice for Hazardous Industries

Key Factors for Choosing Industrial Explosion-Proof Lighting

1. Hazardous Area Classification: Understanding the hazardous area classification is essential when choosing explosion-proof lighting. Industrial areas are classified into zones based on the likelihood of explosive atmospheres. Zones 0, 1, 2, 21, and 22, each have specific lighting requirements to ensure safety by preventing ignition in hazardous conditions.
2. Warranty: A good warranty is important for explosion-proof lighting to ensure that issues, if any, are addressed within the warranty period, minimising downtime and the need for costly replacements, especially in high-risk environments.
3. Durability: Industrial lighting needs to endure harsh conditions, including extreme temperatures, humidity, and corrosive substances. Durable lights reduce downtime and the need for frequent replacements, ensuring continuous, reliable performance in tough environments.
4. Robust Design: Explosion-proof lights must have a durable design, built to handle physical impacts, vibrations, and exposure to extreme conditions. High-quality materials like stainless steel and sealed housings protect the lights from damage and ensure safety in hazardous areas.
5. Application Area: The lighting system must be selected based on the specific application area, whether for general lighting, task-specific, or emergency lighting. The lighting should be suited for the hazard level (Zone 0, 1, or 2) of the area, ensuring proper illumination and safety.
6. Anti-Glare Systems: Excessive glare can reduce visibility and cause eye strain, affecting safety and productivity. Lighting should include anti-glare features to ensure even distribution of light, especially in precision or long-duration work environments.
7. Energy Efficiency: Efficient lighting reduces energy use and maintenance costs. LED explosion-proof lights are energy-efficient and last longer than traditional lighting, offering significant cost savings while maintaining safety and environmental goals.
8. Economic Solutions: Though explosion-proof lighting may have a higher initial cost, its long-term value is significant. Reduced energy consumption, longer lifespan, and lower maintenance needs lead to lower operational costs and higher ROI over time.
9. Emergency Lighting: Emergency lighting is crucial for industrial environments, especially in case of power failure or during evacuation procedures. Explosion-proof emergency lights must be available to guide workers safely out of hazardous zones in case of an emergency.
10. IP Ratings and Weatherproofing: Industrial lighting systems need to have high IP ratings to prevent dust, dirt, and moisture from interfering with the fixture. This is particularly important for outdoor or harsh environment installations, where weatherproofing can make the difference between reliable performance and failure.

Industrial Lighting: Key Considerations and Best Practices

Understanding the Different Types of Industrial Lighting

When selecting lighting for industrial environments, it's important to understand the different types of industrial lighting available. Each type has its unique advantages, depending on the environment and the tasks at hand. Here, we’ll explore various industrial lighting types and how they can meet your specific operational needs.

Types of Industrial Lighting

1. High Bay Lighting: High bay lights are designed for large, open spaces like warehouses, factories, or gyms. These lights are mounted at a higher elevation to ensure even and wide distribution of light. They are ideal for industrial environments that require high-intensity lighting over large areas.
2. Low Bay Lighting: Low bay lights are used in areas with lower ceilings, typically in spaces like storerooms or smaller factories. These lights offer uniform illumination and are more energy-efficient than traditional lighting options.
3. Floodlights: Floodlights are powerful lights that can illuminate large areas, making them ideal for outdoor industrial applications. They provide broad and intense light, making them perfect for security purposes or for illuminating construction sites during night shifts.
4. Explosion-Proof Lighting: Explosion-proof lights are designed specifically for hazardous environments where combustible materials or gases may be present. These lights are built to prevent sparks and ensure the safety of workers in risky industrial settings like oil refineries or chemical plants.
5. LED Industrial Lighting: LEDs have become the go-to choice for modern industrial lighting due to their high energy efficiency and long lifespan. These lights are ideal for any industrial facility, offering reduced energy consumption and low maintenance costs.

Ways of Industrial Lighting

When designing an industrial lighting system, there are several industrial lighting ways to ensure that your facility is illuminated effectively and safely:

1. Task Lighting: Task lighting is focused on specific work areas, providing bright, direct light to help with activities like assembly, maintenance, or inspection. This lighting type ensures workers have adequate visibility to perform tasks safely.
2. Ambient Lighting: Ambient lighting is the general light in an industrial facility. It provides an even distribution of light throughout the entire space, ensuring safety and comfort for workers.
3. Accent Lighting: Accent lighting is often used for aesthetic purposes or to highlight specific areas, such as production lines or key machinery. It also helps create a work environment that promotes concentration and focus.
4. Emergency Lighting: Emergency lights ensure visibility during power outages or hazardous conditions, helping workers navigate the facility safely. These lights are crucial in meeting safety standards and legal requirements.

Types of Commercial Lighting

Although primarily focused on industrial settings, it's useful to understand some types of commercial lighting as well, as they share similar functionalities with industrial systems:

1. Recessed Lighting: Common in offices and retail spaces, recessed lights are installed into the ceiling, providing a clean and minimalistic look. They are versatile and can be used in industrial spaces for indirect lighting.
2. Track Lighting: Track lights are mounted along a track, allowing flexibility in directing light to various parts of the workspace. These lights are ideal for task lighting in commercial and industrial spaces where targeted illumination is needed.
3. Pendant Lighting: Pendant lights hang from the ceiling and provide focused light to specific areas. This type of lighting is often used in high-end commercial applications but can also be utilised in certain industrial settings for specific tasks.
4. Wall-Mounted Lighting: Wall-mounted lights are fixed to walls and can direct light toward a particular area. These lights are frequently used for accent lighting or for illuminating specific work zones in commercial and industrial environments.‍

‍Lighting Solutions Provided by SharpEagle 

At SharpEagle, we provide a diverse range of explosion-proof lighting solutions tailored for hazardous environments. Our range includes portable explosion-proof work lights, designed for durability and easy transport, ensuring reliable illumination in challenging conditions. We also offer emergency lights that automatically activate during power outages, providing essential lighting when it’s needed most. Each of our products is ATEX certified, guaranteeing compliance with safety regulations and prioritising the safety of personnel in industrial settings.

The Distribution and Storage of Industrial Lighting

Once the appropriate lighting fixtures are selected, their distribution and storage are crucial to ensuring efficient operation and ease of maintenance. Industrial lighting is typically designed to operate in large, open areas and should be placed in a way that maximises its efficiency and coverage.

1. Placement and Mounting: Lighting should be positioned to ensure even coverage and avoid dark spots. The mounting height and angle influence distribution and worker comfort. For large spaces like warehouses, high-bay lighting is typically used.
2. Storage Conditions: Lighting equipment should be stored in clean, dry environments to prevent damage, especially high-performance LEDs and explosion-proof lights, which can have sensitive components.
3. Spare Parts Availability: It’s important to ensure that spare parts for lighting systems are readily available, minimising downtime and avoiding operational delays.

Lighting Controls

Effective lighting controls in industrial settings contribute to both safety and energy efficiency. The right control system can help optimise lighting levels based on usage, improving the working environment and reducing costs.

1. Dimming Controls: In certain environments, dimming lights to lower intensity during non-peak hours can save energy. For instance, in areas where human presence is intermittent, lights can be dimmed or turned off when no activity is detected.
2. Motion Sensors: The integration of motion sensors can automatically adjust lighting based on occupancy. In industrial spaces where lighting may be left on unnecessarily, these sensors ensure lights are only on when needed, enhancing efficiency.
3. Manual Controls: Manual control systems can still be beneficial, particularly in critical areas where full lighting intensity is needed. Having manual switches allows workers to adjust light levels based on real-time operational needs.
4. Programmable Timers: For large-scale industrial settings, programmable timers can be used to control when lights turn on or off, further reducing wasted energy during non-working hours.

Industrial Lighting Applications

Industrial lighting plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of manufacturing plants, warehouses, and other industrial facilities. Here are some common industrial lighting applications:

1. Warehouse Lighting: Warehouses typically require high-bay lighting to illuminate large open areas. These areas often have high ceilings, making powerful focused lighting solutions, such as LED high-bay lights, essential to provide uniform illumination throughout the space.
2. Manufacturing Plants: Manufacturing plants require task-specific lighting that ensures proper visibility for operations such as assembly, quality control, or machine operation. Lighting in these areas must provide high contrast without causing glare, ensuring safety and productivity.
3. Hazardous Area Lighting: For industrial facilities that handle combustible materials, explosion-proof lighting is used to prevent ignitions in volatile atmospheres. These areas require carefully selected lights that comply with zone classifications like ATEX and IECEx to ensure safety.
4. Outdoor Lighting: Outdoor industrial spaces, such as loading docks, yards, and parking areas, require weather-resistant and energy-efficient lighting systems. Floodlights with high lumen output are often used in these applications to provide clear, bright lighting for large outdoor spaces.
5. Inspection Areas: In areas where detailed inspections take place, such as laboratories or clean rooms, focused, non-glare lighting is essential. These spaces require lighting solutions that provide uniform brightness while avoiding shadows or glare that could compromise the accuracy of inspections.

Conclusion

Choosing the right explosion-proof lighting is essential for maintaining safety, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations in industrial environments. How you choose industrial lighting will impact the safety of your workers, the efficiency of your operations, and your overall operational costs. By considering factors like hazardous area classification, energy efficiency, glare control, durability, and safety, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business's needs.

At SharpEagle, we specialise in providing high-quality explosion-proof LED lighting solutions for a variety of industrial applications. Our lights are designed to meet stringent safety standards, providing both reliability and efficiency in even the most hazardous environments. To learn more about our range of explosion-proof lighting solutions and how they can enhance safety and performance in your facility, visit our website. If you have any questions or need assistance in choosing the right lighting for your needs, book a free consultation call with us. Our experts are here to guide you through every step of the selection process, ensuring you make the best choice for your facility’s safety and operational needs.