Suitable, adequate, and appropriate lighting is essential when it comes to health and safety during demolition, groundwork, and construction projects.
A lot of groundwork, such as geotechnical drilling and sampling or road resurfacing, can be done during the night, when there is insufficient natural light for the task. Having the right lighting allows the workers to see what they’re doing, avoid accidents, reduce the chance of mistakes or errors, and improves productivity.
It’s not just night time groundwork where it is essential that workers are provided with sufficient task lighting; many construction tasks or demolition works are carried out in areas where natural light cannot reach and where there is no permanent lighting in place, such as rooms or work areas without external windows or underground. In these cases, it is also essential to ensure there is enough light provided for the task or project at hand. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that artificial lighting must be supplied if natural light is unavailable or there is not enough natural light to adequately illuminate the work area.
What makes for good site lighting?
Good worksite lighting, whether it’s for a demolition site, construction site, or lighting for groundworks, needs to provide sufficient illumination to ensure the safety of staff and visitors on the job site. It should also provide enough light for workers to perform all tasks associated with the project, move around the work area, and be as cost effective and energy efficient as possible.
Here are some key factors when choosing the best construction lights:
- Brightness: The lights on site should be bright enough to allow the site workers to see clearly, avoid potential hazards, and perform the tasks required of them – especially important when workers are using power tools, working at heights, or in dangerous areas.
While there is no minimum legal requirement for lighting levels on construction sites or other work areas, the HSE does provide recommendations in their document: Lighting at work (HG38). In it, they state that for construction sites clearance, excavation, and soil work that involves movement of people, machines and vehicles in hazardous areas an average illuminance of 50 lux should be provided. This could require an 8,000 Lumens LED lamp with a beam angle of 80° lighting a surface from a distance of 10m, for example.
- Durability: The work lights need to be durable enough so that they can withstand the potentially harsh conditions on a construction, demolition, or groundworks site. They should also be durable enough to withstand harsh weather conditions, dust, and debris too. One way to check if a light is up to the task is to look at the IP rating of the lamp. Ideally, you want a rating of IP45 or higher for outdoor lights. The IP stands for Ingress Protection and the numbers represent the level of protection from dust ingress and water ingress, in that order. Ideally, for worksites where there will be a lot of dust and debris, you’ll want a light with a dust ingress protection of at least 5. For outdoor projects or in areas where there is a danger of heavy rain or water, you’ll want a water ingress protection rating of at least 4. Bear in mind that water protection ratings go up to 8 and a rating of 7 or 8, i.e. IP57 or IP68, can be fully submerged in water for a period of time, which is more required for pool or other underwater lighting.
- Energy efficiency: Construction sites, demolition sites, and groundworks, are required to be more and more environmentally conscious, so task lighting that is as energy efficient as possible would not only meet these requirements but also help reduce operating costs. LED lights tend to be the most energy efficient lighting option available and are often cheaper to run, too.
- Directionality: The lighting used on a worksite needs to be able to be directed to where it is needed the most, avoiding any shadows or glare as much as possible as this could make it difficult for workers to see what they are doing, making it potentially unsafe.
- Mobility: Many construction industry projects move at a fast pace and often the work that’s being carried out, although it may be on the same overall site, moves from area to area. Work lighting, therefore, would need to be easy to move and adjust as required so the site staff can direct it where it needs to be quickly and efficiently.
- Compatibility: The lighting solution you choose should be compatible with any power supply you have available on the job site. If the light needs to be fairly mobile and moved from one location to another quickly and easily, it can often be more productive to have rechargeable battery powered lighting, rather than mains powered lighting.
- Safety: Most importantly, the lighting used on the construction site or for demolition or ground works should be safe to use with no risk of electrical shock or fire. This usually is not a problem for any lighting supplied directly to the construction industry in the UK as they are required to meet rigorous safety standards.
So what is the best light for construction, demolition, or ground works?
Considering all of the above points, the best type of light would:
- be an LED light that is energy efficient and bright
- providing a light intensity of at least a 50 Lux
- that is portable and easily moved across site(s)
- can be directed easily to where it needs to be
- is compatible with power sources on site and/or battery powered
- can withstand harsh weather conditions
At Easy Wireless Lighting, we sell:
- powerful, 16,000-40,000 lumens LED floodlights
- specifically designed to withstand harsh weather conditions (rated to IP65)
- are fully battery powered with a battery life of up to 13 hours (less on full power)
- with no messy cables providing a potential trip hazard
- small in size and weight – making them easily moveable and directed where needed
Learn more about our Battery Floodlighting options
Or contact us to discuss your work lighting needs and options for the best lighting solution for your project.
