GlassGuard: reducing the risk from shattered lamps in the self storage industry

Self storage is an industry that requires careful adherence to health and safety regulations, as the public has access to potentially dangerous areas. Vast storage facilities lit by hundreds of fluorescent lamps and customers manoeuvring tall, unwieldy objects are a recipe for disaster, and broken lamps can cause damage to property, personnel and customers, risking litigation. In this article, Chris Payne from GlassGuard explains why fragment retention lamps are a simple solution to the problem of broken lamps.

Reducing Risk

Broken glass from shattered lamps can cause damage to property and people, so it is important that all efforts are made to reduce the risk to the public.

Diffusers are used in most situations to prevent contamination from lamps shattering unexpectedly, but simple lamp maintenance can also result in dangerous glass contamination. As soon as the diffuser is removed to change a lamp, glass is exposed and becomes a risk. When accidentally dropped or smashed, a non-coated fluorescent tube can cause widespread glass contamination or personal injury, with potential financial costs running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Aside from maintenance times, fluorescent lamps in storage facilities and warehouses are also at risk from impact. A special industry-compliant fluoro polymer coating that retains glass shards in the event of breakage – offering protection from the point of installation through useful life, without any degradation over time – is an easy way to comply with HACCP and other standards.

BS EN61549

Fragment retention lamp coatings have been available for a number of years now, but it was only in 2010 that strict regulations came into force defining lamp life, coating protection and lamp performance.

Every storage facility should be aware of the new BS EN61549 standard, which requires that all fluorescent lamps should meet a 4m impact test and successfully retain all fragments. It also requires that the safety coating must remain active for a minimum of 8,000 hours lamp life and withstand a 650 degree Celsius glow wire test. With a number of different shatterproof lamps available on the market, this standard represents an important step forward in the improvement of safety and offers reassurance to users that glass contamination will no longer be a worry.

When sourcing shatterproof fluorescent lamps for storage facilities, it is important to use only those that reach or exceed BS EN61549. Poor quality polyethylene or PET coated lamps that do not meet the standard offer far less in terms of life and performance than high quality fluoro polymer coated lamps, which are shown to reach the standard required with a BlackBand symbol around the end of the lamp. GlassGuard BlackBand® coated lamps perform to the full service life of every fluorescent tube, lasting for 20,000 hours.

A case study

A self storage company in Norfolk has recently discovered the benefits of fragment retention lamps after a customer nearly smashed an unprotected fluorescent lamp. 4 Secure Self Storage in Thetford had previously used open batten fluorescent fixtures, meaning the lamp was vulnerable to impact damage, potentially scattering glass over a wide area and causing damage to property as well injury to staff and customers.

This close call raised a health and safety issue that Managing Director Simon Long was keen to rectify: “The customer was moving a wardrobe and very nearly smashed an open fluorescent tube. I could see the potential for damage and litigation, so I quickly searched for a solution. I was delighted to find the simple solution was to install GlassGuard BlackBand® lamps to BS EN61549 standard which eliminated the problem. I now have total peace of mind that customers and their stored goods are protected from injury and glass contamination in the event of any accidents.”

For more information visit www.glassguard.co.uk or call 01842 763752.