Protection from broken glass

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."