Improved lamp longevity and full protection from broken
glass are the key benefits derived from using BS EN 61549-
compliant fragment retention lamps in an industrial setting,
according to David Payne, CEO at GlassGuard

Fragment retention lamps are a sensible
option for any business, factory or
production facility as they offer
protection from broken glass at critical times
of maintenance or at end of life.

GlassGuard’s compliant fragment
retention lamps can be recognised by their
BlackBand marking which indicates that the
products meet the standards required by BS
EN 61549. Cost savings from these products
are apparent in many ways, most obviously
from the elimination of accidental breakage
necessitating the replacement of the lamp as
well as a complete shut down and clean-up
of the facility. Upon impact glass particles
are contained and controlled within the
protective coating and offer best practice to
manufacturing plants during the critical
control points of installation, removal and
handling. As the lamps have a special
coating, they can also remove the need for
diffusers as protection in some situations,
reducing costs further.

GlassGuard BlackBand in diffuserless IP65
fixtures can provide a 24W reduction over
their life and with a full service life of
20,000h, the energy saving from just one
lamp is significant. In real terms this means
that an installation of just 22 diffuserless
IP65 fixtures with compliant T5 lamps in a
business will save 1kW of energy per hour,
which equates to a cash saving of £182 per
year. This is a significant sum for any
business and paves the way for major energy
saving opportunities for larger installations.

For example a typical building with 500 T8
fluorescent fixtures could save up to £4000
per year by switching to higher standard
diffuserless IP65 T5 fixtures.

Case study
Dalehead Foods, a Bury St. Edmunds based
Waitrose supplier for lamb (pictured below),
recently completed a new fluorescent lighting
installation using GlassGuard IP65
luminaires. The new fittings provide
maintenance savings in addition to energy
savings as diffuser covers and clips are no
longer necessary. The new industry
compliant fixtures incorporate GlassGuard
BlackBand long life shatterproof lamps to
provide a totally ‘glass free environment’.

Shaun Thorp, engineering manager,
explains why he chose new fittings over
traditional standard fittings with diffusers: “I
have never been a great lover of diffuser
covers as they always degrade and need
replacing when they get old. The plastic clips
break as well or get lost and you end up with
spending extra money you can do without.

“On top of this we came to realise that the
real risk of glass contamination from
possible lamp breakage was during periods
of maintenance when the old diffuser covers
were removed and unprotected glass lamps
were being fitted.What we liked about the
GlassGuard IP65 fixtures was the five year
shatterproof lamp option with a 24W energy
reduction – no more diffusers to replace and
an improvement in light distribution. Fit and
forget trouble free shatterproof lighting
which meets the requirements of all safety
and hygiene audits.”