Shatterproof light covers are essential in hazardous and heavy industries such as shipping, manufacturing, warehousing and factories. They not only improve efficiency and save costs, but can also minimise the risk of accidents and raise health and safety levels. Here’s a look at why shatterproof covers are crucial for LED and fluorescent lighting in these sectors.

Workplace safety

In heavy or hazardous industries such as shipping or manufacturing, good lighting levels are key to minimising risk and creating a safe environment for workers. Malfunctioning lights lead to worse efficiencies and heighten the risk of accidents. They can also leave dangerous electrical components exposed, creating a fire hazard.

Impact resistance

On board shipping vessels or in industrial factories, movement or machinery may create vibrations or heighten the risk of sudden impacts to lighting covers. Conventional glass light shields may shatter on such impact, or become weakened over time and break. 

This can lead to a highly dangerous situation where shards of broken glass shower suddenly over staff, machinery, or other equipment, causing injuries and requiring operations to shut down while the glass is cleared and the lighting covers are replaced. 

This is costly in terms of disruption and the welfare of staff, and can also damage the reputation of the company and leave it liable to compensation claims or penalties for breaches to the Health & Safety at work regulations. 

Durability and energy efficiency

Heavy industries and shipping are challenging environments with a high degree of exposure to dust, extremes of temperature, humidity, vibrations, corrosive substances, water immersion, and accidental impacts. This means that traditional glass or lightweight plastic light covers are unsuitable, unsafe and inefficient.

It can mean that the lighting systems corrode or malfunction more frequently, and will need to be replaced or repaired on a regular basis. This is disruptive to productivity, and the lighting can also be very difficult to maintain, as it is often located in hard to access places such as high factory ceilings or in challenging marine environments. 

Shatterproof light covers can help to minimise wear and tear on the lighting systems in such settings, reducing the frequency of failures and malfunctions. This extends the lifespan of the lights and saves operational costs and downtime. Well protected lighting is also likely to function at optimum efficiency levels, lowering running costs.

Customisable solutions

Shatterproof covers are available in a range of shapes and sizes, and can be customised to particular requirements. For example, certain industries may wish to combine the covers with extra heat, dust, or moisture resistant properties, or ensure that they can withstand extremes of temperature.

It may be the case that the light covers need to be coloured for a specific purpose such as deterring drug use, or combined with germicidal or fly killing technologies.