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Keep your Site Alight this Winter
HSS has the answer to all your lighting requirements this Winter. HSS' ability to provide each element required to organise, network and run your lights is unrivalled within the hire industry.
- See the Interactive Lights
- Choosing Lights
- The HSS Lighting Range
- HSS One Stop Shop
- What are the Minimum Lighting Regulations?
- Linkable Lighting Towers
- Lighting Tower Questions & Answers
Please read on to learn how HSS can assist with any lighting requirements you have.
Choosing Lights
There are six key factors to consider when deciding what lighting is appropriate.
Each of the questions below need to be answered and will have an impact on which lights will be suitable for you.
- What area do you need to light?
- What type of work/activity will be going on?
- Do you have a power source?
- Are noise levels an issue?
- Is the area well ventilated?
- Does shadowing need to be considered?
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The HSS Lighting Range
The HSS lighting range has the ability to provide lighting solutions for any environment; from public events to constructions sites.
For public events like open air concerts or firework displays, HSS can provide lights to fulfil all the lighting requirements.
- Metal Halide super lights create a wide bright light ideal for car parks and open areas.
- Contractor or task light chains are perfect to light paths or walkways.
- Mast floodlights can provide softer high level perimeter lighting without creating excessive glare.
- Luminators & Link Towers emit bright localised lighting without emitting petrol fumes, suitable for lighting food and catering areas.
On construction sites HSS can provide lighting for outside or inside work areas
- Metal Halide super lights provide large amounts of bright light perfect for lighting wide open spaces.
- Festoon lights are ideal for lighting gangways and walkways.
- Plasterers' lights emit diffused light and produce minimal shadowing ideal for detailed work.
- Upright lights in a chain create ideal lighting for internal construction sites.
HSS also have a range of EEx Lighting for environments where there is a risk of explosions. HSS can also provide fail-safe lighting which activates in the event of a mains power failure.
HSS One Stop Shop
HSS can provide you with the complete lighting package, from helping you plan your requirements to delivery direct to your site.
HSS also stock a full range of generators; which can provide power to run small portable link lighting or our larger generators that can power the largest of event sites.
To complement our range of lights and generators HSS can provide you with; fuel to power the generators, connecting cables to link lights, junction boxes to network your lighting system and traffic ramps to cover cables running over paths or roads. Also available are Lux metres to measure accurate light levels across your site. Finall, HSS has a range of low level and powered access to get your lights up.
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What are the Minimum Lighting Regulations?
The HSE say “Employees are required to have arrangements in place to cover Health & Safety. This includes lighting which needs to be suitable and adequate to meet the requirements of the work place.” – (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992.
In order to assess the Lux levels required in a specific environment the employer must assess the risk factor of any potential hazards before deciding the correct lighting system to use.
Activity |
Typical types of construction work* |
Minimum Brightness in lux |
|---|---|---|
Movement of people, machines and vehicles (a) |
Driving, general pedestrian movement, unloading equipment or supplies |
5 |
Movement of people, machines and vehicles in hazadous areas; rough work not requiring any perception of detail |
Less detailed carpentry, concrete pouring. |
20 |
Work requiring limited perception of detail (b) |
Brink laying, carpet laying, slab levelling, drain laying, roofing, scaffolding. |
50 |
Work requiring perception of detail (b) |
Electrical work, fine detail carpentry, plumbing, surveying, tiling. |
100 |
Work requiring perception of fine detail (b) |
Viewing site plans, fine detail electrical work, fine finishing of plastering. |
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 interior lighting) gives more information and recommendation based on scientific knowledge, practical experience, technical feasibility and economic reality.
(b). The purpose is to avoid fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes.
These regulations can vary depending on how much detail needs to be seen. It also depends on the age of the worker, and the speed and accuracy by which the task needs to be performed.
Non compliance with HSE38 Regulation would put employees at risk and should an accident occur employers could face the possibility of:
- Prosecution by the HSE
- Insurance cover being invalidated
- Compensation claims
Linkable Lighting Tower
HSS have recently invested in a new Linkable Tower system, which allows the user to link up to 8 lighting towers from one power supply.
Linkable lighting Towers are an innovative system which allows several towers to be powered by a single point, by generator, VT1 or by the mains. Linkable lighting towers are very compact and around 12 units can be transported on a flat bed truck, saving time and money. Linkable lighting towers are very safe and simple to use, adopting the VT1 single movement vertical telescopic mast.
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Lighting Tower Question & Answers
What is the difference between Metal Halide and Tungsten Halogen bulbs?
Metal Halide bulbs are between 3-4 times more powerful than Tungsten Halogen bulbs. They produce 3-4 times more light per watt than a Tungsten Halogen bulb.
Metal halide bulbs emit Cold white light, will last between 5000-10000 hours, have a 5 minute strike up time and should be left 15 minutes before lighting them again after they have been switched off.
Tungsten Halogen bulbs emit warm white light, last between 2000-4000 hours, strike up immediately and can be switched on straight after they have been switched off.
Who can set up the lights?
Anyone can set up HSS lights, no formal training is required.
The majority of HSS lights can be deployed and set up easily by one person, easy to follow instructions and guides are issued with each light.
New lights including the Link tower and four head metal halide super lights use a simple vertical single movement erection method; this is clearly illustrated on the lighting towers.
Can you switch all the lights on a tower on at once?
To avoid damage to the bulbs and not to put too much strain on the generator it is advised that the lamps are switched on individually.
Two minute intervals should be left between switching the lamps on.
Can you switch the lights on again after you have just switched them off?
Metal Halide lights cannot be switched straight back on after they have been switched off. When Metal Halide lights have been switched off, a minimum period of 15 minutes should pass before switching the lights back on. Damage can be caused to the power supply if lights are switched off and straight back on again.
Tungsten Halogen bulbs can be switched on and off with no concerns.
How often should the oil be checked?
The oil levels in a lighting tower should be checked each day when the light is on site, if the level is low the oil should topped up.
Oil should be changed every 300 hours, or 25 days (Assuming the light is on for 12 hours a day).
How long will a lighting tower run without need to be re-fuelled?
The Metal halide super light is able to run continuously for 60 hours without needing to be re-fuelled, a 2 head metal halide tower can run for 26 hours and a mobile lighting tower can run for 12 hours with out being re-fuelled.
If a lighting tower is being powered from a generator the size of the generator determines the run time of the light. The larger the generator, the longer the light can run before needing fuel.
Link towers can run indefinitely from the mains or from a set of railway power points.
How many lighting towers can fit on standard flat bed truck?
The type of lighting tower you are transporting determines how many you can fit on a standard truck. The advantage of the Metal halide super light and Link tower is that they have vertical erection masts which do not over hang and therefore enables the user to fit more units on the truck. It is possible to transport 8 metal halide super lights and 12 link towers on a standard flat bed truck.
With all other types of lights only four can be transported at a time.
In the event of an engine failure can the mast be still be lowered?
If the engine fails on a lighting tower and the mast is fully deployed it is still possible to lower the mast using the manual override.
The manual override can be accessed by control panel. Unscrew the manual override access cap and then turn the manual override screw, which will drain the hydraulic fluid and lower the tower in a controlled manner. The override screw must be tightened after mast is lowered.
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