How to provide lighting for large projects

When you're contracting on a large project that will keep going 24/7, it's important that the night crew has sufficient lighting to ensure a safe and productive working environment. Big engineering projects, resource-related construction, roadworks and infrastructure developments can all often have workers burning the midnight oil.

Ask any shift worker, there are certain benefits to working at night - fewer interruptions, less traffic and cooler temperatures during summer to name a few. But one of the disadvantages is working in the dark, especially for large projects that are outdoors.

Fortunately Kennards Hire has a range of solutions for the nocturnally inclined. Here are some tips to increase worker productivity at night.

Hire a lighting tower

Huge lighting towers with a 4000-watt output will illuminate even the largest of projects from a great height. Think of the lights at your local sports ground and you'll have an idea of what these are like.

Fully articulated, telescopic and towable these towers provide a large amount of light without being inconvenient - you can even move them around the job site as you go. With silenced operating cabinets, they won't cause a problem with noise control either.

An important aspects to remember when using these powerful lights is that they cause big shadows as well when spaces are only lit from one angle.

Again, like the local sports ground, you should consider lighting from a few different angles to create a consistent amount of light without shadows, enabling workers to keep on going, no matter where they are on site.

Provide flood lights for smaller areas

Sometimes there will be areas you just can't light from overhead. They may be too remote from the rest of the work site, or they could be under some sort of cover.

In these kinds of situations it's preferable to have a few smaller flood lights to keep the area well-lit. An output of 500 watt or 1500 watt will be ample, especially if you employ a few units. You can easily rest portable floodlights on the ground or a bench, or opt for one on a stand to provide maximum coverage.

For workers that don't stay in one place for long, such as quality control inspectors or site foremen, a Lunar Bakpak Light could be an ideal way to keep their hands free and the area around them lit up. More compact units such as the Utility LED Lights could be well suited to those working inside containers or in tunnels.

Safe lighting for confined spaces

For those working in mine shafts and rail tunnels - or any other confined space with potentially hazardous gases - safety is a priority that cannot be overlooked at any point.

When it comes to lighting, make sure you look at options that are safe for confined spaces and flammable or explosive gases. LED rail lights are the ideal candidate for this.