What happens when the lights go out?

Back in my younger days, I used to go caving; spelunking is the proper terms for it. I used to go out with friends and crawl under tons of rock, sometimes wiggling my way on my belly, hoping that there was a little more head room up ahead.

As any spelunker will tell you, there’s one cardinal rule when it comes to safety… never, ever get caught underground without a light. What started out as a fun adventure can rapidly turn deadly if the lights go out; I’ve seen enough salamanders and small fish with no functional eyes.

One of the key rules that you never cheat on when it comes to lighting is to ALWAYS have three different sources of light. The operative word here is “different”. You want all three types of lights to be completely different so that, if the conditions in the cave are affecting one of the types of light, you’ve got two other ones to fall back on. One of the sources of light that every spelunker carries with him is the lightstick.

You’ve seen these lightstick in the movies if nowhere else. They consist of a milky looking “tube” made of polyethylene that is snapped and that gives off light.

There’s a good reason why spelunkers carry these everywhere they go. They are reliable, the give off plenty of light, they don’t provide combustion and they last a very long time.

What I can’t figure out is why everyone doesn’t have these lightsticks for emergencies. Having lived through 2 earthquakes and numerous power outages, I know that emergency lighting is usually something that you don’t think about until the lights go out and then, depending on the situation, it’s usually too late.

If you don’t have these in your emergency kit, in your car, in your home, in your trailer… I can’t imagine why not. They are inexpensive, they last a long time, they are intrinsically safe, they will be there when you need them (unlike that flashlight that you forgot to check and whose batteries died) and they are environmentally safe.

Have a look at these videos on YouTube concerning the Cyalume Light Technology.

Buy a couple of cases of these and just put them in the car, under the stairs, in your backpack, etc… Then, just forget that they are there. They’ll be there when the need arises and they will work. I can’t think of a down side. Can you?

 

 

Does your flashlight measure up?

All lights are not created equal. With the rapid changes in lighting technology in the past few years it’s easy to get confused. Candlepower? Lumens? Runtime? Burn time? Xenon? LED?

Fortunately, ANSI has stepped in to keep manufacturers honest and to help set a standard by which we can measure the basic elements of lighting. The chart below is the result of this ANSI/NEMA FL1 standard:

Measurement	Definition	Icon used
Light output	Measured in Lumens (Candle Power is obsolete). It measures the total projected output. Measured in an integrating sphere.
Runtime	In hours and/or minutes Defined as the duration of time that light is emitted from 30 seconds after the light is activated till the time it only has 10% of its original intensity.
Beam Distance	Measured in meters from which there is at least 0.25 lux still measurable using a lux meter.
Peak Beam Intensity	Intensity of light is measured in candela It measures the intensity of the beam of light at the point from which it does not vary.
Enclosure Protection Against Water Penetration Ratings	There are 3 ratings available: Water Resistant – IPX4 Splashed with water Water Proof – IPX7 – submerged in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes Submersible – IPX8 – submerged deeper than 1 meter (manufacturer specified depth) for 4 hours.
Impact Resistance	Measured in meters Drop tested on concrete Batteries are in the light when it is dropped

 

ANSI (American National Standards Institute)

These standards are accredited by ANSI, which is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international standards so American products can be used globally.

Glossary of Terms:

Candela – A unit of measurement of the intensity of light that is, power emitted by a light source in a particular direction.

Lux – The unit of luminous flux in the International System, equal to the amount of light given out through a solid angle by a source of one candela intensity radiating equally in all directions.

Lumen – A unit of measurement of the amount of brightness that comes from a light source. Lumens define “luminous flux,” which is energy within the range of frequencies we perceive as light.

IP (Ingress Protection) – Ingress Protection (IP) ratings specify the environmental protection the enclosure provides. The IP rating normally has two numbers (IPXX). The first number represents protection from solid objects or materials (dust) where the second number represents protection from liquids (water). With the IP rating IP 54, 5 describes the level of protection from solid objects and 4 describes the level of protection from liquids.

Flashlight Safety Ratings Explained

Any flashlight that will be used in a hazardous environment or confined space should be properly tested to meet or exceed all applicable safety standards for those locations. When selecting a flashlight, make sure it carries the proper approval ratings. Choosing the correct light for your application requires a thorough understanding of your working environment, and a realistic expectation of how a properly selected flashlight will operate in those conditions.

What Is a Hazardous Location?

Hazardous locations, or potentially explosive atmospheres, are areas where fire or explosion hazards may exist due to the presence of ignitable concentrations of flammable gases, liquids, vapors, dusts or ignitable fibers or flyings. These locations are classified or “grouped’ according to the properties of the flammable materials that may be present and the likelihood of flammable concentrations.

The National Electric Code (NEC) defines hazardous locations classifications and protection techniques. The basic designation is by “class” and “division.” There are three classes characterized by the type of material present. Class I locations are made hazardous by the presence of flammable gases, liquids or vapors. Class II locations can be described as hazardous because of the presence of combustible dusts. Class III locations contain easily ignitable fibers or flyings. “Division” refers to the likelihood that ignitable concentrations of flammable materials are present in a given area. Division 1 designates an environment where ignitable concentrations of flammable gases, liquids, vapors or dusts can exist some of the time or all of the time under normal operating conditions or where easily ignitable fibers and flyings are manufactured, handled or used. Division 2 locations are areas where ignitable concentrations are NOT likely to exist under normal operating conditions or where Class III materials are stored or handled.

Hazardous atmosphere classes are further defined by “groups.” Combustible materials are grouped by their relevant physical properties. These groups include (but are not limited to):

Group A   Acetylene
Group B   Hydrogen
Group C   Ethylene, carbon monoxide
Group D   Propane, gasoline, naphtha, benzene, butane, ethyl alcohol, acetone, methane
Group E   Metals including aluminum, magnesium (Div. 1 only)
Group F   Carbonaceous dusts including coal, carbon black, and coke
Group G   Dusts not included in E and F including wood, plastics, flour, starch or grain dusts

As of July 2003, mandatory compliance to the European Union (EU) Directive 94/9/EC (ATEX) for all products intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres within the EU member countries came into effect. Differing from the NEC, the ATEX Directive categorizes equipment into Group I (mining) and Group II (non-mining) applications according to the relevant protection methods used in their design. Similar to divisions, “zones” (0, 1 or 2) and gas groups; A (propane), B (ethylene) and C (Acetylene and Hydrogen), are used to define Group II hazardous area characteristics. For a particular zone and group a specific equipment category and protection concept are required.

NEC				ATEX
Division	Occurance		Group	Category	Zone
1	Continuous		II	1	0
	Likely			2	1
2	Not likely			3	2

Further, all approved flashlights are temperature rated from T1 (less than or equal to 450°C) to T6 (less than or equal to 85°C) and the flashlight you select partly depends on the auto ignition temperature characteristics of the substances you may encounter and the ambient temperature (adjusted to 40°C) of the area. This document contains a simplified explanation of safety approvals and list of some of the substances and conditions for which the approval is valid. It is not intended as a substitute for a thorough understanding of the subject. Remember; you or the “Authority Having Jurisdiction” are responsible for the proper selection and application, in a properly defined area, of any hazardous locations approved product. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), The International Electrotechnical Association (IEC) as well as most certifying agencies offering hazardous locations services are helpful references for defining hazardous locations. Streamlight flashlights have been tested and approved by the world’s leading independent laboratories such as Factory Mutual Research Corporation, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. and Demko. It’s your assurance that the Streamlight flashlight you choose will be safe, reliable and tough enough for the job – characteristics that have distinguished our products for over a quarter century.

(The above article is the property of Streamlight Inc. and taken from their website at http://www.streamlight.com/education/safety-ratings.aspx. Visit Streamlight.com for more training articles and information as well as to view their complete line of lighting products)