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Working in heavy industry can be a tough job. Loud work conditions, strenuous labor, and plenty of dirt all go into a hard day’s work. In recent years, the industrial workplace has seen many improvements, from worker safety to more pleasant work conditions. Still, many industrial workplaces are plagued by a decades-old problem. They are lit with unpleasant fluorescent light. With some very large spaces to light, fluorescent light fixtures are a natural choice. They can be bright, cheap to run, and last longer than some other kinds of bulbs. But what they gain in efficiency, they lack in ergonomics. That’s why industrial light covers are so important. Merely changing the light in an industrial setting can have a huge impact on worker mood, satisfaction, and productivity. Industrial light covers from Octo Lights are the solution to a problem that has dogged heavy industry for over half a century.

Lighting in the Industrial Workplace

Heavy industry is hard work. The employees are good at what they do and put a lot of energy into their tasks. But while the industrial workplace can be tailored to the needs of the particular industry, it is often not tailored to the needs of the workers who spend their days there. Industry is all about productivity, and the best workplace lighting is lighting that increases productivity. For most industries that means bright lighting over a large area, so workers can see what they are doing and do it right. Since most industrial buildings were built for maximum efficiency, it’s no surprise that fluorescent light is almost ubiquitous. But fluorescent light may not actually be all it’s cracked up to be.

Scientists and specialists who study worker productivity have long known that the most productive industrial workplace is not just tailored to the machines and industry. A productive workforce requires care and cultivation with ergonomic technology that makes working more efficient. In that context, industrial light covers are a natural fit. Using industrial light covers is a part of an overall ergonomic strategy to get the most out of a valuable workforce.

The Difference Between Sunlight and Fluorescent Light

Fluorescent light gets the job done when it comes to providing lots of bright light, but it fails in other ways. Fluorescent light lacks many of the features of sunlight, which humans have adapted to over their long evolutionary history. One significant feature of sunlight is that it changes throughout the day. The morning and evening have a unique twilight type of sunshine. Nighttime is dark, which is also significant. Meanwhile, the light of a clear sky in the middle of the day contains a heavy dose of short-wave blue light. That midday blue light sets off a series of physiological responses that wake up the body and set various processes in motion.

Fluorescent light lacks the changes that occur naturally with sunlight. Beyond that deficit, it has another particularly harmful characteristic. The light from a fluorescent bulb is rich in short-wave blue light. This is most similar to midday. While that kind of light is perfect for a few hours in the middle of the day, humans were not meant to be exposed to it from morning to night. The very processes that are set off by the midday sun are harmful if they are carried on throughout the day. Instead of making people feeling awake and vibrant, artificially extended exposure to blue light can have harmful effects.

One effect of blue light overexposure is simply the desynchronization of the natural internal clock. The internal clock, which scientists call the circadian rhythm, is a natural cycle that the human body goes through every 24 hours. The cycle includes sleepiness and wakefulness hormones, plus a host of other body functions that are all timed precisely to the time of day. When humans are overexposed to blue light, the circadian rhythm is disturbed, along with its vital physiological control mechanisms.

Industrial Light Covers to Increase Productivity

The natural result of overexposure to short-wave blue light is a drop in worker productivity. When overexposure leads to a disruption of the circadian rhythm, mood and wakefulness can be disrupted, too. Workers exposed to too much fluorescent light may feel tired, unable to concentrate, or simply unmotivated. In an industrial setting, focus and concentration are vital not just to productivity, but also to safety. That makes industrial light covers a critical part of worker productivity and safety.

In addition to the damage fluorescent light does to the circadian rhythm, too much fluorescent light can be hard on the eyes. Bright short-wave blue light has a stronger effect on the eyes than regular full-spectrum light. That’s part of why you experience eye fatigue after staring at a computer—also a source of blue light—for too long. In fact, one interesting result of the human eye’s sensitivity to blue light is the way we see in low light. You may notice that in low light situations, colors fade away, and everything appears in shades of blue. That’s why we think moonlight looks silvery or blue. Since the human eye is so sensitive to blue light, it can pick up blue much more easily than other colors when there is limited light.

The overstimulation of the eyes can lead to eye soreness that affects the health and safety of industrial workers. It is crucial for industrial workers to see what they are doing with a high level of precision. So when their eyes are fatigued, and their vision starts to blur, it can have a direct effect on their output. Industrial light covers can help protect workers’ eyes by filtering out much of the blue light that comes from fluorescent light fixtures.

How Industrial Light Covers Work

What makes industrial light covers so effective is the way that they filter fluorescent light. Fluorescent light is typically very heavy in the short-wave blue end of the spectrum. However, industrial light covers can change the light that reaches industrial workers. The industrial light covers let most of the light through but block much of the short-wave blue light. The result is light that is more evenly balanced across the spectrum. The filtered light is much easier on the eyes and doesn’t have the same damaging effect on the circadian rhythm.

Often, after the installation of industrial light covers, workers find that they are less fatigued and less stressed. The constant barrage of short-wave blue light can cause low-level stress throughout the day. When that light and that stress is removed, workers may experience improved mood and improved productivity. Ultimately, happy workers are safe, satisfied, and productive workers.

Ordering Industrial Light Covers from Octo Lights

Many large industrial workplaces have lots of light fixtures. So even a small reduction in cost can multiply into big savings. With Octo Lights industrial light covers, you will find that the substantial savings on each cover add up to some serious savings across a whole plant. At just under $30 a cover, industrial light covers from Octo Lights are one of the most cost-effective investments you can make in your workplace. The return on investment is immense. These relatively low-cost and easy-to-install industrial light covers boost employee morale and industrial output.

Ordering industrial light covers from Octo Lights couldn’t be simpler. First, browse our great selection of images available for your industrial light covers. If you see something you love, go ahead and select the right size. If you want something else, we can print custom designs for the same price as our regular industrial light covers. Once you have selected your image, choose your size and quantity, then check out. We’ll have your order ready to ship in just a couple of days. In many cases, you can have your industrial light covers within a week of ordering. If you have specific questions about using industrial light covers in your plant or workspace, contact Octo Lights, and we’ll be happy to help.