Led Lighting. Minimizing Ecological Impact without Compromising Human Safety

Environmental requirements intended to protect wildlife from the effects of artificial lighting have been in place for quite some time. The light spectrum options available using traditional light sources meant compliance with these requirements was often challenging. More recently, LED technology can be customized to whatever light spectrum is required to meet the regulations.While the objective of the regulations is to protect wildlife, an unintended consequence is a potentially negative impact on worker safety. The light spectrum required in the regulations may not be appropriate for human vision to see well enough to effectively, and safely work in industrial facilities.With the color options LED offers, it is expected environmental wildlife regulations could be expanded with increased enforcement globally. The challenge for coastal and offshore petroleum operations will be to find a balance that meets these regulations without affecting worker safety.This paper will discuss the several regulations, available light sources and the need for appropriate action. Many standards aimed at reducing the negative ecological impacts that outdoor lighting systems pose are beginning to be updated and will eventually be enforced. Some of these standards are based on lighting design practices that are based on traditional light sources and have not considered the advantages of LED technology and may not adequately address wildlife issues or be at the expense human requirements for clear visibility at night.