led lighting for hazardous locations-fvtled

The rules, regulations, and restrictions for hazardous location lighting are designed primarily for the safety and security of workers in those locations. Those locations are classified according to the types of flammable substances that may be present in them, including flammable vapors, dusts, or fibers, and those classifications are further subdivided into whether those substances are regularly or periodically present in the location’s atmosphere or only stored or transported through the location in sealed containers. In every case, LED lighting for hazardous locations not only satisfies the applicable standards for those locations, but also provides better visibility and substantially improved cost savings for hazardous location facilities operators.

LED Lighting for Hazardous Locations

The safety improvements offered by LED lighting for hazardous locations are without parallel. Newer generations of industrial LED luminaires are available from SpecGrade LED with rugged copper-free aluminum frames and housing, tempered glass lenses, and casings that remove potential ignition sources, such as electrical sparks, from flammable substances in the environment. These LED fixtures are rated explosion proof, thus insulating workers from catastrophic ignitions of flammable substances in their work environments. Lastly, LED fixtures operate at lower physical temperatures, and modern industrial LED lighting incorporates passive heat sink technology to dissipate thermal buildup. Lighting fixtures that operate at cooler temperatures are inherently safer in any environment in which flammable substances are present.

Many facilities operators that retrofit their hazardous locations to LED lighting have discovered that LED illumination is superior to traditional industrial metal halide or high pressure sodium lighting. LEDs provide a sharper illumination spectrum that is closer to natural lighting than those older industrial lighting sources. With LED lighting, workers in hazardous locations are better able to distinguish fine detail and contrasts, which eliminates errors and accidents and further contributes to worker safety in those environments.

Benefits of LED Lighting for Hazardous Locations

LED lighting for hazardous locations also holds the potential to save operating and maintenance costs for facilities operators. LED fixtures draw up to 90% less electrical energy than traditional industrial lighting fixtures while providing the same or better illumination. Most industrial LED fixtures will continue to operate for 50,000 hours, and in some cases for up to 100,000 hours of continuous use, even if they are installed in higher-stress environments that subject them to shocks or other physical stresses. A hazardous location facilities operator can recover the cost of an LED lighting retrofit in under two years from operating and maintenance cost reductions.

A well-planned and designed LED lighting retrofit will also demonstrate the versatility of LED fixtures. Those fixtures are available in a variety of beam spread patterns and directional controls. A good design will create uniform illumination with no shadows or dark areas in high or low bay industrial locations, enclosed spaces, and corridors between different areas. Moreover, LED lighting systems can be controlled with pinpoint accuracy to come to full illumination almost immediately after being powered on. A hazardous location operator can turn LED lighting on and off at will, with none of the delays that are common to older forms of industrial lighting.