Get the lighting right on your construction site

The importance of adequate lighting on construction, building and industrial sites

The Heath and Safety Executive states the following regarding Site Lighting

Every part of a construction site that is in use should, as far as possible, be arranged so that natural light is available for people to see to do their work and move about the site safely. Where natural light is inadequate or not available, artificial lighting should be provided.

Where work will continue outside daylight hours or the building or structure is enclosed, artificial lighting will be required.
Make sure that any artificial lighting does not change the apparent colour or visibility of any safety signs or other safety related items such as fire extinguishers.
With both daylight and artificial light, shadows can obscure hazards both at the workplace e.g. making it difficult to see the blade of a cutting disc or a drill bit and on the site generally e.g. at stairwells. If necessary, provide extra lighting to illuminate shadow areas.
Where failure of the primary artificial lighting would be a risk to the health or safety of anyone e.g. someone working on a tower scaffold in a basement may fall while trying to descend in the dark, provide emergency lighting.
Where it is not possible to have lighting that comes on automatically when the primary lighting fails, torches or other similar lights may provide suitable lighting.

Site lighting – Safety topics – Construction – HSE

Why is adequate lighting so important on construction and building sites?

Construction and industrial sites are often complex and hazardous environments. Workers need to be able to operate machinery, carry out tasks and navigate a site safely. Effective lighting prevents injuries and accidents.
Adequate construction site lighting keeps sites running efficiently especially during darker winter afternoons and evenings when days are shorter and natural light limited. With clear visibility, teams can complete tasks accurately, maintain productivity and continue to deliver as high-quality work as they would do during a day shift.
Effective lighting helps to identify and reduce hazards. By eliminating dark corners or zones and shadows from large objects such as containers, scaffolding or plant equipment, visitors and workers are able to move safely and confidently throughout the site.
Effective lighting is also vital for vehicle and plant movement. Clear illumination around routes, loading areas and pedestrian walkways ensures drivers can navigate safely and reduce the risk of accidents or collisions.
Beyond safety, adequate construction lighting supports productivity and wellbeing, reducing eye strain and fatigue and helping workers stay focused and perform tasks more precisely.
Lighting is also important for site security and essential in deterring theft, vandalism and unauthorised access particularly during darker evenings when valuable tools and equipment remain on site.
Good lighting can support environmental and sustainability goals, using less energy and producing fewer emissions. Beam-controlled lighting solutions like the Ritelite range of products further minimise light pollution and glare, focusing all the light where is is needed whilst protecting neighbouring areas and wildlife.

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What is adequate construction site lighting?

Different tasks will require different levels of light. The HSE Lighting at work (hse.gov.uk) guidance recommends the following levels

From HSE guidelines View PDF Here

Activity	Typical locations/types of work	Average illuminance (lux) 1x	Minimum measured illuminance (lux) 1x
Movement of people, machines and vehicles^(a)	Lorry park, corridors, circulation routes	20	5
Movement of people, machines and vehicles in hazardous areas; rough work not requiring any perception of detail	Construction site clearance, excavation and soil work, loading bays, bottling and canning plant	50	20
Work requiring limited perception of detail^(b)	Kitchens, factories assembling large components, potteries	100	50
Work requiring perception of detail^(c)	Offices, sheet metal work, bookbinding	200	100
Work requiring perception of fine detail^(d)	Drawing offices, factories assembling electronic components, textile production	500	200

^(a) Only safety has been considered, because no perception of detail is needed and visual fatigue is unlikely. However, where it is necessary to see detail to recognise a hazard or where error in performing the task could put someone else at risk, for safety purposes as well as to avoid visual fatigue, the figure needs to be increased to that for work requiring the perception of detail. The CIBSE Code for lighting 4 gives more information and recommendations based on scientific knowledge, practical experience, technical feasibility and economic reality.
^(b) The purpose is to avoid visual fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes
^(c) The purpose is to avoid visual fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes
^(d) The purpose is to avoid visual fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes

The CIBSE Code for Lighting goes even further:

Activity	Minimum maintained mean illuminance (1x)	illuminance uniformity (minimum/average)	Typical applications
Safe pedestrian movement in low risk areas	5	0.25	Industrial storage areas with only occasional traffic
Safe movement of slow vehicles	10	0.4	Open storage areas served by forklift trucks
Safe movement in medium risk areas	20	0.4	Vehicle storage areas, caontainer terminales with frequent traffic
Normal traffic	20	0.4	Road lighting in container terminals, marshalling yards
Very rough work	20	0.25	Excavation and site clearance
Rough work	50	0.25	Handling timber
Safe movement in high risk areas	50	0.4	Critical area within chemical plants, oil refineries etc
Normal work	100	0.5	Brick laying, carpentry
Fine work	200	0.5	Painting, electrical work

Table 24.1 Illuminance recommendations for exterior workplaces. Source: The SLL Lighting Handbook, 2018

What must construction and industrial site planners consider when planning site lighting requirements?

When planning lighting for construction or industrial sites it’s essential to ensure that illumination or lux levels (the light on the ground) supports safety, visibility and productivity without introducing new risks or environmental impacts to a site as far as is possible.When planning lighting for construction or industrial sites it’s essential to ensure that illumination or lux levels (the light on the ground) supports safety, visibility and productivity without introducing new risks or environmental impacts to a site as far as is possible.

Lighting should be chosen that will not:

Produce excessive glare that could dazzle workers or reduce awareness of nearby hazards.
Alter the colour appearance of surrounding items for example safety signage, cables or fire extinguishers which must remain easily identifiable.
Flicker, strobe or cause discomfort to those working on the site or in the nearby vicinity.
Create unnecessary light pollution that affects surrounding areas especially if the site is close to roads or residential properties.
Create undue noise, such as from generators that could distract workers or disturb nearby residents.
The lighting solution chosen should provide consistent illumination for the duration of a shift or as long as the work task is required.

The lighting solution chosen should provide consistent, reliable illumination for the full duration of a shift or work task, without significant drop in brightness when needed.

Lighting solutions chosen should also:

Be robust and durable enough to cope with the harsh and changing industrial environments in which they will be used.
Be flexible and as versatile as possible to enable the product to be used in different areas for different applications as construction sites develop and work zones change.
Require minimal maintenance and be quick to deploy or reposition.
Operate effectively with available site power supply for example 110V, 240V or in some cases no power when battery powered solutions are therefore preferable for many applications.
Be easy to position so that the lighting product effectively illuminates the required area without creating new trip hazards or obstructions for workers or visitors.
Deliver energy-efficient performance, helping to reduce emissions and fuel costs on sites and meeting sustainability requirements of the site project.
Comply with relevant HSE and lighting standards for workplace safety and illumination levels.

How do Ritelite Lighting products meet the requirements for Site Lighting?

Ritelite lighting systems are UK designed and manufactured to meet the demanding conditions of construction, rail, and industrial sites providing safe, efficient, and adaptable lighting wherever it’s needed for whatever task required.

Every Ritelite product is engineered for durability, with rugged housings, weatherproof enclosures, and impact-resistant components to perform reliably in harsh outdoor and industrial environments. Many models are IP65 or higher rated, ensuring protection against dust and water ingress for year-round use.

All Ritelite lighting products use high-efficiency LED technology, delivering exceptional performance while dramatically reducing energy consumption compared with traditional metal halide, sodium, or fluorescent lamps. LEDs also operate at much lower temperatures, run silently, and offer instant-on performance with no warm-up or cool-down periods required, ensuring maximum uptime.

Ritelite’s beam control and optical design ensure that light is focused precisely where it’s needed with high uniformity, reducing glare, shadowing, and light spill or light pollution. This not only enhances safety and visual comfort on site but also minimises light pollution, supporting compliance with local environmental requirements. Ritelite’s unique automated light output control systems further maximises power efficiencies and energy savings.

All Ritelite products are easy to transport, set up, and reposition, giving site managers the flexibility to adapt lighting as work areas evolve. From compact worklights and tripod-mounted systems to large-area floodlighting towers, there’s a solution for every temporary or semi-permanent application and every budget.

To support sites with limited or no access to mains power, Ritelite offers a full range of battery-powered and hybrid systems, including products compatible with RITE-POWER portable battery generators for silent, fume-free operation. This flexibility enables safe, efficient working even in remote or enclosed environments.

Importantly, every Ritelite lighting system is designed to meet or exceed HSE, CIBSE, and BS EN lighting guidelines, ensuring compliance with illumination standards and promoting safe working conditions across all types of construction and industrial sites.

All Ritelite Construction & Industrial LED lighting solutions are uniquely designed to:

FOCUS LIGHT

All the light produced is focused on the required work surface with bespoke beam controlled lensing ensuring glare and light pollution are minimised.

RUN EFFICIENTLY

Using high quality LED technology Ritelite products maximise efficiency, energy savings and battery durations whilst achieving high performance.

BE VERSATILE

The flexibility and vesatility of Ritelite’s products enable them to be used in multiple locations across a work site both indoor and outdoor. Portable and mobile, compact to store and transport.

SILENTLY RUN

All Ritelite products can be operated silently either with in-built highly efficient lithium batteries or via RITE-POWER portable battery generators.

WORK WHERE NEEDED

Ritelite products are waterproof, dustproof & impact resistant, designed for the harsh working environment of the construction and industrial industries.

BE BUILT TO LAST

Ritelite products are high quality, built to last and continue to perform exceptionally for many years.

An Area Lighting Solution for Every Application

Ritelite’s product range includes solutions for every Area Floodlighting application.
Approximate 20 lux average comparison figures of our key products are below to give some guidance for customers as to which product will be best for their application.

20 Lux Average Comparison Figures for Ritelite Area Lighting Products