Working in confined spaces or areas with flammable materials such as methane, propane, and other hydrocarbons can be dangerous. A hazardous location is where the atmosphere contains sufficient quantities of combustible dust, gases, or fibers. For this reason, everyone in a dangerous place should follow all the regulations to the latter, including having a suitable luminaire. Unlike common spaces, which you can light with standard bulbs, hazardous locations require explosion-proof work light to reduce the risk of fatal accidents.

Since the presence of combustible materials in the air can easily trigger a fire, you should choose the right LED fixture for your hazardous location. Unlike illuminating common areas, there are regulations for lighting hazardous spaces that one should follow to the latter. LED light fixtures have desirable properties, but not all are suitable for lighting hazardous locations. For this reason, you should choose the right LED light fixture that is also explosion-proof. Having explosion-proof light fixtures helps you reduce the risk of fatal accidents.

Conversely, the results of choosing the wrong LED light fixtures can be deadly. Not to scare you, but faulty lighting equipment from a manufacturer can be a source of disaster, which is why you should only purchase from qualified manufacturers. Although there are cheap products in the market, most do not live up to expectations. You may save a few coins from purchasing substandard lights, but the results of that could be too costly. Below is why LED explosion-proof lights have the upper hand over traditional lighting technologies.

Why are LEDs great for hazardous locations?

Energy-efficient and emit less heat

Running a hazardous location is already costly since you can’t cut through corners. Everything needs to be perfect to reduce the risk of severe accidents. Using LED lighting fixtures helps you lower your electrical bills since they consume less power. Depending on the type of light fixtures you have installed, you could be looking at savings of up to 90%. Improvement in overall energy consumption also translates to reduced operating costs.

Cost-effective

One of the significant advantages of LED light fixtures is that they last up to 10 times longer than standard or fluorescent bulbs. Consequently, you don’t have to replace them as often as you would with halogen and CFLs. Changing lights in vast spaces can be even more challenging in hazardous locations. You may need to stop all the operations and clean all the areas once the replacement is done most of the time. Replacing lights in a hazardous location can therefore get in the way of your daily operations, let alone the cost of paying your maintenance team.

Sturdier

While using traditional lighting fixtures, you need to handle them with care to prevent damage or breakage. They, therefore, are not the best option for confined spaces such as tanks. Fortunately, explosion-proof LED lights are more substantial since they are made from materials such as tempered glass, which is resistant to impact. These light fixtures are a perfect choice when movement is involved. For example, when workers need to clean or empty a tank, they can use a portable LED light fixture to illuminate the space.

While lighting a hazardous location, it is only essential to adhere to the law for safety purposes. Having explosion-proof lighting fixtures as your luminaires is a crucial aspect to consider.

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