Speak to a team member +44 (0) 1925 852745

Hazardous Area Lighting

Home › Hazardous Area Products › Hazardous Area Lighting

Hazardous area lighting has applications in a huge number of industries and sectors, in the presence of explosion risks like dust, gases and vapours, and other everyday threats to human safety.

Installing hazardous area lighting offers peace of mind that both personnel and property are protected, while reducing ongoing maintenance and repair costs, and providing good levels of light in working areas.

What are the characteristics of hazardous lighting?

While hazardous area lighting is a far-reaching category, there are some elements of hazardous lighting design that are found across the whole product range, by virtue of its rugged and industrial construction.

Because of this, hazardous lighting has a variety of common characteristics to look out for:

  • Certification to standards like ATEX, IECEx and NEC.
  • Ingress protection and weather-proof enclosures.
  • Wide operating temperature ranges.

As always, you can check the full technical specifications of any product by clicking through to its product page, and checking the Downloads tab for the PDF datasheet.

Where is hazardous area lighting used?

Hazardous area lighting can be used in a number of positions and locations in Zone 0, 1 or 2, or Zone 20, 21 or 22 hazardous areas:

High-level lighting

Pole-mounted street lighting and ceiling-mounted linear lighting provide illumination from above, ideal for larger spaces and where you want your hazardous lighting to be out of reach of personnel or accidental contact with machinery and lifting equipment.

Wall-mounted lighting

Wall and bulkhead lighting offers illumination around the edges of a large interior space and may be used in outdoor settings, including harsh environments like oil rigs and refineries.

Ground-level lighting

Portable ground-level lighting can be rated for hazardous areas too, so that you can add task lighting as and when you need it, without compromising on your commitment to safety, protecting personnel and complying with regulations.

Handheld lighting

Handheld lighting is the most portable of all – just point at the object and you can direct the beam wherever you need to improve visibility. Hazardous and ex-proof portable hand lamps, torches and flashlights give you this ability without the risk of igniting fumes.

Benefits of hazardous area lighting

Safety is one of the biggest benefits of hazardous area lighting, by reducing the risk of fire, explosion and other potentially catastrophic incidents, but it’s not the only reason to choose the highest level of protection for your lights.

Lack of access

Hazardous area lighting is ideal for use in hard-to-reach locations where you want to minimise the need for maintenance access. LED luminaires in particular run without generating excess heat, and can offer many thousands of hours before being replaced.

Future-proofing

Installing intrinsically safe lighting future-proofs industrial areas that may be used for different purposes in the future. This allows you to take your business in the most profitable direction and improves the saleability of premises.

All-weather operation

The impressive specifications of hazardous area lighting make it suitable for harsh environments, even where there may be little risk of explosion. Ingress protection is a versatile characteristic for exposed locations and extreme weather, especially when combined with a wide operating temperature range.

Why choose LED lighting?

LED lighting is now the most common type of hazardous area lighting. It’s energy-efficient, reliable over very long periods of use, and runs at a relatively low temperature – ideal for hazardous areas where hot lightbulbs are a concern.

As of August 2023, EU rules mean T5 and T8 fluorescent tubes can no longer be manufactured in EU member states. Mercury-based fluorescent lamps are considered a hazard and switching to LED hazardous area lighting will save on costs and energy.

For lower costs, energy consumption and maintenance demand, compliance with EU regulations and avoidance of hazardous substances, LED lighting ticks all the boxes as the first choice for future hazardous area lighting installations.

Find out more

For more information about any of our hazardous area lighting, click through to each product’s page for full specs and downloadable datasheets, or contact us directly if you have any questions.