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LED industrial lights: Getting the best possible view of your working environment

Tips for selecting the right LED light fitting when configuring industrial work benches.

LED lighting has long been indispensable to industrial production. A service life of up to 50,000 operating hours, outstanding performance and low energy consumption are benefits that speak for themselves. It is also ideal for use with work bench systems. At the same time, ergonomics, health and safety and productivity all dictate that lighting must be designed to eliminate strain on workers’ eyes, and therefore their concentration. By following a few simple rules, companies can enjoy all the efficiency benefits of LED technology without the potential risks.

Colour temperature and homogeneous lighting

The light colour of an industrial LED lamp is incredibly important, as it can have a huge influence on employee performance and motivation. The following principles should be taken into account when considering light colour: Cold white light has a stimulating effect on the human organism, while warm white light is more calming.

Industrial guidelines have been developed accordingly. For example, a light colour of 4000 kelvin is recommended for an industrial environment such as an assembly operator’s work bench. This value lies between the classic, warm white lighting that we know from filament lamps (2500 to 2700 kelvin) and normal daylight (5800 to 6500 kelvin).

A moderate colour temperature like this supports fatigue-free working practices, puts less strain on employees and helps to reduce error rates – making the workforce altogether much more productive.

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Multiple shadows

Multiple shadows, i.e. when a number of shadows overlap each other, also put a strain on the eyes that shouldn’t be underestimated. Let’s imagine a less-than-optimum lighting scenario, one that uses LED technology but in the form of individual spotlights. Each of these light emitting diodes produces a very distinct shadow, which puts a great deal of strain on the eyes. Over the course of the working day, this leads to noticeable fatigue effects. By contrast, homogeneous lighting with soft shadows, as produced by our LED light fittings, has the exact opposite effect – it relieves strain on the employee’s eyes.

Frequency and luminous intensity of industrial LED light fittings

Many companies are still unsure about what kind of pulse rate a lamp should really have to create a pleasant working atmosphere. From an ergonomic perspective, however, the answer is clear – a flicker-free light should always be used. Even low-frequency flickering that workers won’t even notice still inevitably causes stress, which is why only high-frequency LED lamps should be used. This also eliminates strain, thus significantly boosting quality.

Defined area of lighting

The luminous intensity of an industrial LED light fitting must not be underestimated either. If a work bench is fitted with a dazzling light that is open to the side, personnel will inevitably lose their “adaptation” each time they reach past it to stock up on material. “Adaptation” is the ability of the eye to adjust to the prevailing light intensity or, to put it simply, brightness levels. In other words, each time the eyes are exposed to a different level of brightness, they need to adapt to it. That has an enormous impact on concentration levels, which is why glare must be reduced. Shielding and focussing elements help. Our LED light fittings, for example, use an efficient combination of a diffusor panel and parabolic reflector grid that largely eliminates glare. What’s more, there is more light at the work bench – but only where it is actually needed.