SAFETY FIRST
When it Comes to Safety, Seeing is Believing
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n the marine environment, and especially aboard a ship, there are potential hazards that require attention, both at sea and in port. That’s why proper lighting becomes a necessity to be compliant with regulations, provide an efficient work environment, and ensure mariners can see what they’re doing and spot any safety issues before someone gets injured or something gets damaged. What you don’t or can’t see can hurt you. Refueling, cargo handling, boat launch and recovery and towing operations—especially at night or in bad weather--are just a few of the evolutions where all participants need to have full visibility as to what’s happening, and to spot possible dangerous situations that might arise. Whether it’s a new installation, routine replacement or upgrade, ensuring the proper operation of all lighting is a necessity. By not providing adequate lighting, resulting injuries can incur a costly liability. As lighting specialists, we at Phoenix can’t overemphasize the fact that lighting solutions must be tailored for the requirement. A floodlight optic on a tugboat may not be ideal for a cargo handling deck or ferry. Lighting fixtures must be rugged to withstand the harsh conditions and heavy seas, and power distribution must meet classification society specifications for reliability and safety. Exterior and navigation lights should be designed and engineered specifically for the rigors of the marine environment, including moisture, vibration and corrosion and ambient temperature extremes. This ensures dependable, long lasting, and safe illumination for navigation, as required by 52 Marine Log // November 2021
maritime law and regulations. Ships—including lighting installations and illumination levels—are built to specifications provided by classification societies, such as the American Bureau of Shipping to meet industry standards from Underwriters Laboratory. Exterior and navigation lighting must meet the requirements established by the International Maritime Organization’s Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, known as the COLREGs.
LED lighting today lasts longer and consumes less energy.
Don’t replace lighting with whatever is on hand, and remember, cheaper is not necessarily better. Trained lighting designers should design lighting placement and selection because more uniform illumination benefits operations and activity on deck. Understanding some of the key design considerations for lighting—such as glare, brightness, or color temperature, can lead to safer operations. Selecting the ideal color temperature impacts the ability to see objects. Lighting selections and placement shouldn’t be too bright for the application, flicker, or cast distracting shadows, not because It’s annoying, but it creates unsafe
RYAN HERTEL VP of Business Development Phoenix Lighting
Photo Credit: Phoenix Lighting
Light fixtures seen onboard a marine service vessel ensure safe lighting for nighttime work on deck.
working conditions. Frequency and ease of replacement are also important. Lights designed to be modular and easier to replace offers benefits to operators in the form of long-term cost savings and ease of maintenance. Sending a mariner up a ladder on a moving ship to reach a burned-out lamp can be a hazardous and unsafe situation. And lights that last longer obviously have the benefit of being replaced less often, and that reduces the size of the inventory that must be carried onboard. Replacing fluorescent lights with LED lighting eliminates the disposal problems inherent in fluorescent bulbs. The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) is a public-private partnership that seeks to reduce costs and increase capabilities of U.S. government owned and flagged ships and shipyards. The Advanced Topside Lighting System is one of the NSRP projects examining advanced lighting technologies on new constructions and inservice ships to provide ease of installation, long life, low maintenance, self-monitoring, and parts commonality. LED lighting technology continues to improve, with developments in digital controls and self-monitoring lighting. LED lighting today lasts longer and consumes less energy. Quality, marine-rated LED lighting for vessels of all sizes is now available without the increased in cost of the past. For any new-build or retrofit, it’s important to understand the benefits of new shipboard lighting technologies and the cost-effectiveness of rugged, durable construction. And it’s important to partner with a reliable lighting vendor and manufacturer with transparent certifications and ratings. Lighting design is more complicated than just installing the cheapest light. Reputable marine lighting manufacturers should provide lighting designs for you and be willing to verify those before the boat returns to service. Quality lighting results in a safer and more productive working environment, all while delivering a lower life-cycle cost. That’s important. Because what you can’t see can hurt you.
