PO Box 224 Montville QLD 4560 Mob: 0411 639 910
INTRODUCTION
Choosing the right flashlight
Flashlights are a significant factor in ensuring safety in industrial work environments. Every care must be taken in selecting a flashlight if risk is to be minimised.
The chances of a particular risk occurring or the frequency that illumination is needed should determine the type of lighting required, not whether it is required at all.
Workplace health and safety is determined by the consequences of accidents, not just the chances of their occurrence. Therefore it is critical that industrial professionals invest in a flashlight that suits their work environment.
We cannot advise you on which flashlight is best suited for your working conditions, but we do suggest you consider the following factors.
RELIABILITY
How critical is it that light is available when you need it?
- Is it critical that light always be available regardless of the time or frequency of need? A rechargeable flashlight may be the best solution. Most heavy duty batteries can be charged up to 1000 times and are fully charged in 10 hours. If this is too long, fast chargers are available or, perhaps, a spare battery will be sufficient.
If you operate from a vehicle, then vehicle mounted chargers are available so that a fully charged flashlight is always available.
- Is it critical the light be available after long periods of inactivity?
Flashlights are required to sit in all emergency medical kits, survival kits and maintenance kits that may not be used for months or years, but when they are needed the consequences of failure could be catastrophic.
Consideration may be given to using a lithium battery flashlight. Lithium batteries typically will still have 90% capacity after 10 years of no use.
When assessing reliability, the bulbs should also be considered.
SUITABILITY OF OPERATION
Consider these features:
Size and weight – where will it be stored and will the weight have a significant effect?
Portability – are spare sets of batteries needed? Will the area of use be restricted by the availability of charging facilities?
The position and type of the switch – does it suit your application?
For example, does it need to be operated with one hand or a gloved hand?
Apart from the common side mounted switches, there are also those with twist-on, twist-off switches (usually water-proof) and others with end-switches.
Hands-free operation – do you need a flashlight that can stand alone to leave both hands free?
Accessories – what accessories are available to expand the usefulness of a flashlight? For example, you may need coloured lenses or be able to add a vehicle mounted charger or add an attachment bracket for fixing to a helmet or add a fibre optic adaptor.
Hazardous Environment – will the flashlight ever need to be used in hazardous environments? What will be the consequences if an intrinsically safe flashlight is not available to provide illumination?
What will be the consequences of using a non-approved flashlight with the potential to cause or exacerbate a dangerous situation?
NON-CHARGEABLE OR RECHARGEABLE
If used frequently, disposable batteries will last around two weeks. This run time is generally longer than that of rechargeable batteries between charges. However, rechargeable batteries can be recharged up to 1000 times. If replacement batteries are readily available when needed and charging facilities are equally accessible, consider the comparative running costs. How many sets of disposable batteries and at what cost, are required to produce the same results as those produced by non-disposable batteries recharged a 1000 times?
If prolonged use is likely and the availability of charging facilities is not practical, then a disposable battery flashlight may be the best choice.
DURABILITY
Is the flashlight likely to be dropped, perhaps onto concrete or into water? What temperature is it likely to encounter?
Polymer cases are virtually unbreakable and have the added advantage of being non-conductive. Some flashlights have water-proof cases with 'O' ring seals and most professional flashlights are water resistant.
True professional flashlights have even been known to survive temperatures of 250°C.
CONVERTIBILITY
Would it be advantageous to have a flashlight that can convert from a handheld unit to a head or helmet-mounted headlamp?
There are also flashlights that can sit horizontally or vertically and others that have heads that can be tilted up to 180 degrees.
POWER
Manufacturers quote Candlepower as a measure of light output, but the Lumens rating is a better indicator.
The term Peak Beam Candlepower is the measurement of the brightest spot in a flashlight beam at a particular distance and with fully charged batteries. This provides an estimate of the maximum level of light intensity.
True professional flashlights have even been known to survive temperatures of 250°C.
Disposable battery flashlights man provide adequate light for your application, but rechargeable battery flashlights will provide many more times the candlepower for the same weight and size.
BULBS
LED’S are the most reliable having a life expectancy of 100,000 hours if they are not over-driven. However, there are limitations. Only those with single LED’s can be focussed in the same manner as an incandescent, but the light output is usually less than Halogen or Xenon bulbs.
The exceptions to this are those LED flashlights that use Reflex Technology. Some of these will provide a higher light output than many incandescent bulb flashlights.
However, if all are compared for maximum performance, halogen, xenon or krypton bulbs will provide a more powerful light.
To overcome the problem of shorter bulb life, some flashlights contain a built-in backup bulb, a led/Incandescent combination, a twin filament bulb or a spare bulb for ready replacement.
