Don't Overlook These Factors When Choosing Industrial Lighting for Your Facility

Posted on

The lighting you choose for your industrial facility may be more important than you realize, as it can greatly add to the costs of running that facility if you're using a large number of high-energy bulbs. Poor lighting can contribute to accidents, worker fatigue, and the like. When you're in the market for new industrial lighting for your facility, note a few factors to consider so you know you make the right choice overall.

1. Heat

Along with the energy usage of light bulbs, the heat they generate could also add to the cost of operating your facility. You may not think of overhead bulbs as helping to keep your space very warm, but consider the size of the bulbs you typically find in most industrial facilities and how many you need to fully light your facility. Even if they raise the temperature of your indoor space by one or two degrees, this can mean added cost in running your air conditioner or indoor fans more often. Note the heat output of any bulb and consider LED lights or those that don't generate heat wherever possible.

2. Color Rendering Index

Industrial lights often have a color rendering index or CRI, and this refers to how they may or may not distort colors in their surroundings. You may have noticed that some bulbs will produce a very strong yellow or grayish tinge; this can distort the colors of your materials on a production line or wash out colors on exit signs and the like. If your workers need to always note proper colors, such as when materials coming down a production line are color coded, be sure you choose bulbs with a high CRI rating as the higher the rating, the less interference there will be from overhead bulbs.

3. Glare

Glare coming from overhead lighting is not just an annoyance; it can also be a safety hazard. If a forklift operator is lifting or lowering something with the forks and a glare from overhead bulbs interferes with his or her vision, even for a moment, this can cause them to hit another object with the forks, topple their load, and so on. Glare can also cause anyone operating heavy equipment to miss warning signals, persons walking in front of them, and the like. When choosing bulbs for a facility, you want to find those with minimal glare. You may also need to invest in covers for the bulbs that disperse the light so that it doesn't glow as strongly and, in turn, produces less glare.


Share