The decision you make about lighting in an industrial space is an extremely important one for those who work in or visit this space; in fact, getting it wrong could have serious consequences. What should you consider when choosing lighting?

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There is more than cost and brightness to think about; for instance, LED lights will turn on instantly, whereas older, fluorescent and HID fittings take time to reach full brightness. The importance of this will depend on your needs; however, work will be completed faster, which is time is saved overall. You might also be concerned with your building’s aesthetics, which will influence your choice.

The cost benefits

Changing your workspace lighting can bring huge benefits, including improved health and safety for your workers. The growing cost of lighting, as with all utilities, is an unwelcome burden on your operating costs; however, changing from old-fashioned fluorescent lights to newer LED fittings will bring significant savings of up to 40 per cent.

Health and safety

Workers who spend significant amounts of time in confined spaces must have suitably safe lighting to work in. This is especially true when they reach for, lift, carry or store items. This is a perfect example of where LED or spotlighting is preferable, depending on size and space. It is also important that you safely and securely use and machinery that you have from a Leicester Plant Hire firm like https://harboroughhire.uk/ in your industrial space.

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Safety awareness saves costs

The HSE’s regulations are not only concerned with accidents. The regulator has studied the long-term effects of poor lighting on workers, which you might want to consider when you are costing your overheads. Risks include absenteeism through minor conditions such as headaches and migraine.

The HSE has published a useful guide about the health risks posed by poor lighting and is quite prescriptive about the luminance ratio in different types and sizes of working space. This can be downloaded for free.

Your choices

LED lighting can cost more than fluorescent or HID lighting; however, the savings made in energy use will more than make up for this. Bearing in mind that the organisation has a duty of care towards its staff, the savings should not be considered in terms of cost alone.