Impact of light on safety in industrial environments

Lighting impacts human performance, therefore, safety in industrial environments. Recent developments in light emitting diode (LED) lighting technology offer an opportunity for a scientific evaluation of the quality of light in industrial space. The possibility of reducing the risk of key causes of occupational hazards through effective application of lighting was evaluated. Vision science research was reviewed to identify mechanisms that could improve object detection, supra threshold visual performance, and response time. Metrics to quantify these mechanisms — small target visibility (STV), relative visual performance (RVP), mesopic luminance, and lighting system application efficacy (LSAE) — were reviewed and applied in the context of industrial lighting installations. Results indicate the potential to harness new lighting technology to enhance visual task performance, and thereby improve safety and productivity. Lighting can also contribute towards fatigue of industrial workers. Lighting could influence fatigue by degrading sleep quality of night shift workers, causing visual discomfort, and creating negative perception of the environment. Review of research, simulations, and calculations led the authors to develop a framework that links occupational injury incidents to lighting quality metrics for industrial environments. This framework needs to be validated using field studies that are designed based on this research. In this period of technology transition facility managers can use this study to benchmark technologies and installations for safety. This study presents value propositions that a versatile and controllable source such as LEDs could offer to industries.