.
Created: 1999-06-22
Last edited: 2001-08-08
Lighting
Safety & Functionality Survey Checklist.
Produced: 990622
Review: 0
Author : Augusto
Mendoza-Martinez
The following general list
is aimed to Electrical Engineers, Architects and Technicians, as
well as to non-specialist users with qualified support. If used
please make reference to author indicating e-mail address; if in
web site used please link to my site.
Other readers can use it
to become well informed critics and consumers of lighting
solutions [public lighting is paid with our money, work lighting
affects us as workers, real state good lighting is buyers worth
in their future property] .... Hope is useful to you all.
CheckList Items.
GENERAL. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 1.0
a. Illuminance. Unit : Lux [lx] or
foot-candle [Fc].
- 01- Average Value:
[a] at Task, [b] General as recommended by standards.
- 02- Uniformity
Illuminance Ratio; [a] Max / Min; [b] Min / Mean, not
greater than recommended by standards.
- 03- General Ratio
between average value in each pair of connected or
perceivable at the same y time areas, Difference within
limits to prevent adaptation problems.
- 04- Illuminance
maintained values, referred or adjusted to values at the
end of economical life of lamps and cleaning period,
related to Standards recommendations.
[ 1.0a]
Illuminance . . . Amount
of visible lighting energy received per unit area; lumen per
Sq. meter is called LUX; lumen per Sq. foot is called
foot-candle F[c]; Measured by LUX -Meter devices designed to
measure in lighting installations ....
[ 1.0a01] At
Task. . . .[local
lighting] At restricted area or space where certain task is
performed; Desk surface, kitchen preparing counter, etc.
[ 1.0a01]
General. . .
[general lighting] At the general space where the task is
located; General lighting of all supermarket areas.
[ 1.0a02]
Uniformity. . . [Ratio
] Same illuminance value along a surface is expensive; a mean
value within certain min. and max. value is acceptable. Eye
becomes adapted to the mean value and perceives badly below
or over certain limits from the average. Different activities
ask for different uniformity ratio; Bad uniformity can be a
danger under certain circumstances; Psychologically a surface
spotted wit dark and light is uncomfortable [ugly], even
sometimes it is decorating and dramatic.
[ 1.0a04]
Economical life. . . All
kind of lamps [incandescent, fluorescent, mercury, sodium,
metal halide, halogen, and some others] decrease light
emission with time of use and finally burn out or do not star
any more. In a lighting installation, if technically planned,
exists a long term cost compromise between number of fixtures
and minimum Illuminance acceptable before changing lamps;
that means if I program to change lamps when they will have
reduced their light output to 60 percent of that when new, I
will need less fixtures than changing lamps only when they
reach 40 percent of initial output. Economical life is so the
number of burn hours is wise to use certain tie of lamp
before changing even if still is emitting light.
[ 1.0a02]
Maintained value. . . A
lighting installation with use reduces lighting because of
lamp reduces light output; fixture surfaces become less
reflective and absorb more light as they become old and dirt;
wall surfaces painting become more absorbent of light as they
become old and dirt, and finally some electrical fixture
components become old and produce effects in lamp working
that reduces light output.
The minimum value before
you clean fixtures, change to new lamps, and restore
reflectance of walls and other reflecting surfaces is the
Maintained Value.
b. Quality Factors of
Lighting. Visual perception performance depends not
only on quantity of light energy spread on the objects to see
them.
- 01- Glare control.
Users must be free of any kind of glare in normal
observer positions.
- 02- Luminance ratio,
Task VS visual general field. Within limits to prevent
adaptation problems.
- 03- Veiling
reflections control. Users must be free of any kind of
veiling reflections in normal working or reading
positions.
- 04- Color of lighting
to task color accuracy perception needs.
- 05- Psycological
confort to normal users.
- 06- Adaptation
coordinated design static user or moving user.
[ 1.0b01]
Glare . . . Loss of
visual perception because of light directed to the observer's
eyes from one object [either emitted or reflected] in the
visual field.
[ 1.0b01]
Luminance . . . What
has meaning to vision is luminance of a surface that emits
light [lamp, lighting fixture refractor], a surface that
permits light to pass through [a window or any other opening
to the sky, or any other surface reflecting surface on the
other side], any interior or outdoors surface somewhat
lighted that reflects light [wall, mirror, roadway pavement,
etc.] , or any similar; when such a luminance is measured
from a point equivalent to the observer's eyes position. The
sensation produced in observer's brain is what usually named
as brightness [ this sensation depends on factors like the
state of adaptation of the eye.
[ 1.0b03]
Veiling reflection. . . Loss of visual perception because of light
reflected to the observer's eyes from one glossy surface like
some paper or pencil trace.
c. Ambient Coordinated
Equipment Design & Mounting . Lighting fixtures, shades,
shields, boxes for auxiliary equipment, aiming devices, lowering
systems, guards, etc.
- 01- Good compromise
between qualities of fixture design and ambient
conditions [ water, moist, gas, dust, corrosion,
temperature, vibrations, insects, etc.].
- 02- Special
construction and mounting to be approved and safe used in
dangerous locations. [see
8.0].
- 03- Physical
protection, seals and guards to be protected from present
or potential, accidental or intentional, damaging factors
or actions.
- 04- Adequate
clearances, barriers and signals to no been hit by cars,
objects, or injure people passing by.
- 05- Drain means
effective. Condensing or rain water.
- 06- Tightness of all
mechanical and electrical means of connecting, hold and
fix different parts [pole arms, fixtures, photocells,
etc.].
d. Maintenance. Easiness to find equipment and
parts to repair and replace them. Easiness to do preventive and
corrective maintenance.
- 01- Accessibility to
internal equipment of lighting fixture and easy to change
parts or components design.
- 02- Means to hang and
connect lighting fixtures. Reliability of supporting
means to wall, roof, structure, poles, ceiling, etc.
- 03- Good relation
between life of lamps and replacement accessibility [
mounting high, lowering systems, hoisting equipment
feasibility, etc.]. Long life solution in lighting of
traffic ways where maintenance must stop service or
traffic [tunnel, underpass, highways and expressways].
- 04- Reliability of
material used / possibility / need to upgrade.
- 05- Replacing spare
parts to buy to be ready.
- 06- Known marked and
easy to find: lamp type, watt, volt, etc. of each
lighting fixture.
- 07- Lamp and
equipment standardization to reduce spare lamp types and
other parts variety.
- 08- Presence of high
temperature [more than 80 C or 176 F], high temperature
signals of damage on fixtures, burnouts.
- 09- Estrange like
soldering or welding smell.
- 10- Hum or like bees
sound.
- 11- Lamp or tubes
sockets connecting conditions.
- 12- Ballast,
ignitors, capacitors conditions.
- 13- Updated drawings
or forms and field marks that permit know relation of
devices with wiring.
e. Architectural.
- 01- Good compromise
between paint color because of aspect and efficient
reflectance.
- 02- Good compromise
between visual aspect of lighting fixtures and their
efficiency related to the particular use.
- 03- Good compromise
between natural light use and glare from natural light
sources related to the particular use.
[ 1.0c01]
Reflectance. . . is
the ratio of the reflected light [flux] to the incident flux
in a surface or medium.
f. What could happened
if. ... Imagine
situations that can lead to undesired events, its prevention and
protection by some lighting or lighting mounting solution. ....
Reduce "if I could have imagined" wailing.
- 01- Special events or
situations.
- 02- Use on
earthquakes, floods, war or similars.
- 04- Clearances to
fire fighting equipment easy work.
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Items list
OUTDOORS. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 2.0
a. Entrances. Where pedestrians get in or
out the property, different kinds of places where vehicles do the
same. Activities to be performed: Security control of people or
cars, Traffic control, Load passengers identification.
01- Security to
prevent tampering of installation by intruders.
02- Absence of some
glare effects on guards or security people.
03- Illuminance
enough to security procedures.
04- Reliability of
devices used to provide emergency light if needed.
05- Restart time,
after an energy outage, or supplementary instant restart
lighting.
b. Parking
areas. Activities
to be performed: Security control of people or cars, Traffic
control, Own's car easy identification, Pedestrians circulation
to or from cars, perception of pedestrians by drivers.
01- Security to
prevent damages or attacks by intruders or crime.
02- Absence of some
glare effects to users or surveillance people.
03- Illuminance
enough to way of use.
04- Fixture positions
protected from cars.
05- Coordination with
tree pruning and gardens to avoid shades than can hide
criminals.
c. Security Lighting. A protective mean and installation
to guaranty some safety degree in case of intruders, for
detection, defense, reduction.
- 01- Security and
guards to prevent fixture damage by intruders or crime
attack.
02- Absence of some
glare effects to guards or security people.
03- Illuminance
vertical and horizontal enough to surveillance [people
and CCTV] and security procedures .
04- Reliability of
devices used to provide emergency light if needed.
05- Restart time,
after an energy outage or supplementary instant restart
lighting.
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INDOORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 3.0
a. Working Areas. Locations where some kind
of work or activity is performed.
- 01- Does exit
lighting will work in any possible failure of Normal
Lighting? [local circuit failure, general outage].
- 02- Exit lighting
fixtures position to be effective even when smoke is
present.
- 03- Exit lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent direct glare on
people under normal or emergency situations.
- 04- Normal lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent veiling glare on
people under normal situations.
- 05- Lighting fixtures
position and aiming to prevent veiling glare to users of
CRT, Pictures, Sculptures, etc.
- 06- Supplementary
lighting to provide directed light at some special tasks.
b. Circulation Areas. Stairways, corridors, exit
discharge areas, lobby areas, etc.
- 01- Does exit
lighting will work in any possible failure of Normal
Lighting? [local circuit failure, general outage].
- 02- Exit lighting
fixtures position to be effective even when smoke is
present.
- 03- Exit lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent direct glare on
people under normal or emergency situations.
- 04- Exit lighting
fixtures position to be effective to identify normal and
emergency exit routes, doors, etc.
- 05- Emergency
lighting fixtures provided to allow effective
identification and use of alarm stations, fire fighting
means, and other devices provided for emergencies or
banking and similar services.
c. Equipment Areas. Any place where equipment is
installed [Air conditioning rooms, Electrical rooms, Process
area, etc.].
- 01- General lighting
conditions.
- 02- Local lighting
conditions for specific tasks of normal operation,
inspection, maintenance, repairing on site, etc.
- 03- Does exit
lighting and stand-by lighting will work in any possible
failure of Normal Lighting? [local circuit failure,
general outage].
- 04- Exit lighting
fixtures position to be effective even when smoke is
present.
- 03- Exit and stand-by
lighting fixtures position and aiming to prevent direct
or indirect glare on people under normal or emergency
situations.
d. Parking Areas.
- 01- Exit lighting
that can work in any possible failure of Normal Lighting?
[local circuit failure, general outage].
- 02- Exit lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent direct glare on
people under normal or emergency situations.
- 04- Normal lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent glare on drivers
under normal situations.
- 05- Entrance lighting
to prevent drivers lost vision because of eye adaptation
to interior lower lighting .
- 06- Supplementary
lighting to provide light at some signaling, or lighted
signs.
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SPORT AREAS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0
a. Public. Where people sits or stands to see
the spectacle.
- 01- Security to
prevent tampering of installation or damage by intruders.
- 02- Exit lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent direct glare on
people under normal or emergency situations.
- 03- Guide lighting to
allow public entrance during performances.
b. Playing Area.
Where sport
is practiced.
- 01- Lighting
conditions adequate to use [ recreational informal, club,
amateur, professional, great show spectacle, TV record
and broadcast.
- 02- Color quality
coordinated to use as above.
- 03. No glare of any
kind to players as possible.
c. At Lighting
Structures.
Poles, towers, catways, racks, etc where lighting fixtures are.
- 01- Safe access and
climbing means.
- 02- Safe previsions
to maintenance and repairing workers.
- 03- Adequate
clearances to easy and safe access to open, maintain,
inspect, repair, replace parts, etc.
- 04- Design or means
to prevent by falling covers or parts damages or
accidents.
- 05- Support and
structural situations or damages that introduce some
hazard.
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ROADWAY LIGHTING. .
. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
5.0
a. Fixture Location .
- 01- Security to
prevent tampering of installation or damage by criminals.
- 02- As possible
protected position from cars in case of accident or lost
of car control.
- 03- As possible in
easy to maintain without traffic obstruction by
maintenance crew and vehicle.
- 04- Space location of
fixtures to provide visual guide to driver and avoid
induced error.
- 05- Adequate
clearances, barriers and signals, to no been hit by cars,
objects, or injure people passing by.
- 06- Aesthetics of
lighting fixture and support structures [poles, arms,
towers, etc.] by itself and as part of the city or
roadway forniture; absence of visual pollution when
integrated as a whole in the scenery at day and night.
b. Lighting and Traffic
Signs and Signals.
- 01- Relative position
to make signs well visible to drivers from appropriate
distance to act.
- 02- Relative position
to allow traffic signals be well visible to drivers [no
glare to drivers, no obstruction of sight.
c. Lighting particular
requirements.
- 01- Pedestrian
walkways, crossing and Bikeways lighting.
- 02- Border areas
lighting to improve drivers surround perception, useful
to take emergency decisions or perceive livestock or
people.
- 03- No direct glare
from fixtures even to drivers on a nearby lane on an
overpass or somehow at higher level.
- 04- Smog and haze or
mist taken into consideration.
- 05- Roadway Lighting
coordinated to surround lighting to provide adequate
perception conditions to drivers.
- 07- Underpass
daylighting high enough to let drivers perceive safely on
the way covered, from the exterior part of the road.
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TUNNEL LIGHTING. .
. . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0
a. Fixture Placement.
- 01- Easiness to
cleaning procedures with motorized systems.
- 02- Accessibility to
maintenance and changing lamps and internal parts, Mobile
connections to change whole fixture to be repaired at
shop.
- 03- Feasibility of
provisional installation to reestablish service in case
of some important accident.
b. On - Off Control.
- 01- Control system to
get different lighting conditions along daylight exterior
conditions at the entrance, exit zone and transitions
zones.
- 02- Control system to
use the tunnel with traffic both senses or different
sense during emergency use.
- 03- Redundant light
sensors.
c. Special Lighting
Conditions.
- 01- Entrance Zone
lighting coordinated to get safe visual perception from a
distance enough to stop, if driving at roadway design
speed, at the different exterior lighting conditions
during daylight hours [black hole effect prevention]; the
goal of lighting is drivers use safely the tunnel at the
same speed they use all the roadway, so tunnel do not
become a traffic botleneck. If driving at maximum
permitted speed, as you approach the tunnel at 120m [360
ft] from the entrance, you cannot see an obstacle inside
the tunnel, the tunnel has inadequate lighting.
- 02- Exit Zone
lighting coordinated to get safe and confortable visual
perception of the roadway outside the tunnel when driving
out, at the different exterior lighting conditions during
daylight hours [Glare effect prevention].
- 03- Transition zones
[entrance side, exit side] lighting coordinated to allow
drivers adaptation to and from interior lighting
conditions, driving at the normal design speed of the
roadway. If you feel that you need reduce speed inside
the tunnel to be visually confortable the tunnel lighting
is not adequate.
- 04- Approaching Zone
night lighting coordinated to night lighting interior
conditions in the tunnel to prevent glare to the drivers.
- 05- Exterior closed
to the tunnel exit lighting, coordinated to get safe
visual perception of the roadway outside the tunnel when
driving out, at night [dark roadway effect ].
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EMERGENCY SYSTEMS. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.0
a. Solution.
- 01- Security to
prevent tampering of installation or damage by intruders.
- 02- Exit lighting
lighting fixtures position to be effective even when
smoke is present.
- 03- Exit lighting
fixtures position and aiming to prevent direct glare on
people under normal or emergency situations.
- 04- Physical
protection or isolation to prevent simultaneous damage
with Normal System parts.
- 05- Configuration of
system and operating means to get service under all of
the circumstances of normal lighting failure, including
internal.
- 06- Reliability
control and maintenance to be sure emergency system is
always ready to work.
- 09- Automatic control
equipment operativity.
DANGEROUS CLASSIFIED PLACES. .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0
a. Area
classification Review.
01- Recent
classification of dangerous locations valid to the actual
situation.
02. Overclasified
areas or spaces reclassification.
b. Lighting
Fixtures Approval & Mounting.
01- Approval by UL or
similar reliable organization, to be used in the exact
conditions [ Class, Division, type of Atmosphera].
02- Fixture in
compliance with all manufacturer physical
characteristics.
03- Electrical wiring
system in compliance with the National Electrical Code
rules for Dangerous Classified Locations.
04- Fixture physical
protections by position or guards.
05- Maintenance and
lamp changing safe procedures.
06- Broken or damaged
fixtures.
c. Lighting
Fixtures.
01- Guards.
02. Seals.
03. Lamp wattage
capacity of lighting fixture not surpassed.
04. Fixture fixing
means.
05. Surface
temperature within limits of classification
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