Industrial lighting is crucial for any commercial space, particularly factories. Since factories are hazardous places with high chances of accidents, proper industrial lighting is essential to ensure factory safety.
Thus, it is the responsibility of the factory owners to ensure that proper industrial lighting is provided in the factory space.
Proper industrial lighting makes factories safe and brightens up the space, thus increasing employees' productivity.
Key Benefits of Industrial Lighting for Factory Safety
Accident Prevention
Different types of tasks are carried out in a factory, such as cutting, grinding, inspection, packing, etc. All these require different machines, from heavy machines to small tools. Workers carry out their work 24/7 to ensure a smooth workflow.
Adequate lighting helps identify potential hazards, such as spills, obstructions, and moving machinery. It reduces the likelihood of workplace accidents and the resulting loss of manpower hours.
Enhanced Productivity
Enhanced productivity is the end goal of all industrial activities. Good lighting conditions improve worker efficiency and morale. They are able to see things clearly and are less likely to make mistakes. They can also finish the work on time.
With proper factory lighting solutions, workers are less likely to feel exhausted and sleepy, which contributes to increased productivity.
Lighting Compliance with Standards
Various organizations like OSHA and ANSI have stipulated factory lighting standards for the safety of employees. Factories are expected to follow the OSHA and ANSI lighting standards to avoid potential fines and legal issues.
For e.g; as per OSHA lighting requirements, employers should ensure that the walkways and work areas should be adequately lighted whenever an employee is present. Having proper industrial lighting ensures that these guidelines are complied with. This boosts the confidence and trust the employees have on the company.
Reduced Eye Strain
Industries generally take into consideration the color temperature before lighting up the industrial space. Having proper lighting with the correct color temperature minimizes eye strain and fatigue of the employees. This eventually promotes better focus and reduces the risk of errors.
Understanding Lighting Standards and Measurements
To achieve optimal lighting in factories, it's essential to understand key measurements and standards
Lighting standards
- Lux Levels
Lux is a measurement of light intensity from a certain source. Different areas of the factory requires lights of different intensity based on the tasks performed.
The range of lux varies from 1 to 100000 depending on the intensity of light. In a normal retail space, a lux level of 500 is required. Lux levels in factories and workshops ranges between 500 to 750 depending upon the precision of work done.
- Foot Candles
Like lux level, foot candles in industrial settings also measures the intensity of light on a surface. One foot-candle measures the amount of light required to illuminate one square foot area with one lumen of light.
Lighting standards
The Illuminations Engineers Society (IES) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provide factory lighting guide on recommended lighting levels for various industrial settings.
For eg; aeroplane manufacturing unit should have high bay LED lights with footcandle of 50 -200 depending on the function carried out.
Hospitals should have high bay or flat panel lights with the operating room having foot candle of 100-200.
Warehouses and storage units should have high-bay light of 5-50 foot candle depending on the activity level. Workshop and construction areas should have a footcandle of 10.
Tips for Choosing the Right Lighting for Your Factory
When selecting lighting for your factory, you should consider the following tips.
- Assess Your Needs
The first step is to identify the lighting requirements of different areas within your factory. How big is the workstation and the assembly lines? Is there any precision work done in the assembly line? What is the total area of the warehouse and storage? Is the warehouse and storage area fully or partially functional?
You should consider the above factors before deciding on the type of lighting for factories.
- Height of the ceiling
Factories usually have very high ceiling to accommodate large machinery. Thus, the lights used in factories should be powerful enough to provide enough brightness to the entire area.
For eg; if the ceiling height is 10-20 feet, the space require light with lumen of 10-20K.
- Choose LED Lights
Sustainability is the primary consideration in industrial lighting. You should go for energy-efficient factory lighting that not only offers consistent light but is also long lasting.
Industrial LED lights are the perfect choice for factory lighting. Once installed, these LED lighting can last for several years. What more? High-efficiency LEDs can even make substantial saving in your energy bill and eventually your operating cost.
- Consider Color Rendering Index (CRI)
Color rendering index (CRI) for factory lighting shows how the color of an object looks under artificial white light when compared to natural light. A CRI of 80-90 is considered good. A 100 CRI indicates the true color of the object.
Thus, a higher CRI ensures that colors appear more natural under the light. This is very important in industrial spaces where the tasks require color accuracy.
- Evaluate Voltage and Temperature Requirements
You should ensure that the lighting solutions you select meet the voltage and temperature requirements of your factory.
Most factories require a color temperature of 5000k - 6500k as it provides a cool light. This light temperature is enough to carry on with high precision work in the factory.
Conclusion
Having proper industrial lighting design is highly essential not only from an aesthetic point of view but also from a safety aspect. A well-lit factory with adequate bright light can boost the morale of the workers. Since the workers need not strain much to complete their task, their productivity is increased to a great extent.
Besides, an adequately lighted industrial set-up helps avoid industrial accidents to a great extent. This can increase the trustworthiness and credibility of the company as it pays attention to the employees safety.
