September 13, 2017 / by Emma Jones

Everyone has probably experienced a day like this in their lives. You hop in your car and while on the way to work you manage to hit every single red light, eventually making you late and making your boss angry. No wonder traffic lights have such a bad rep despite their good intentions. Truth is, traffic lights are far more than just a reason for our road rage and the silent receiver of a plethora of swear words. Above all, they are used to establish order of movement and preserve safety, whether it’s on the road or at an industrial work site. Actually, it’s this straightforward working principle and signalling ability that has made traffic lights an integral part of a wide range of industrial settings and public buildings.

Today, you can find all sorts of industrial traffic lights used on construction sites, signalling vacancy and delegating the movement in private parking lots, regulating the flow of traffic at large industrial plants, increasing safety in mines and much more. A good traffic light system helps speed up all of these activities and helps preserve the safety of everyone involved. Depending on their purpose, there are different types of industrial traffic lights.

Industrial Traffic Lights

The lights meant to raise people’s attention or signal that there’s some kind of hazard they need to be careful around, are usually made up of a single, flashing amber light. On the other hand, a single, flashing red light usually means that there’s ongoing danger and people need to evacuate immediately. Distribution centres, loading warehouses and docks most commonly use red and green lights for guiding forklift traffic and signal workers nearby. These lights are also used to warn traffic participants whenever there’s a construction activity on one side of the road and guide them towards the available lane. When designing a traffic light scheme for a particular facility, all workers must be informed about the message each light sends.

Besides the colours, another important aspect for industrial traffic lights is bulb technology. Since the running and maintenance of any lighting system can be expensive, business owners are always looking for smart, energy efficient solutions. For that reason industrial traffic lights normally use LED bulbs. LEDs have an incredible lifespan of up to 50 000 hours which far exceeds that of incandescent bulbs, making them a valuable purchase for a business in the long run. Moreover, LEDs are ideal for industrial settings because they use no chemicals that could pose a fire risk. For outdoor sites, there are no lights that shine brighter than LEDs, making them significant in misty, snowy or rainy working conditions.

In the past, there was usually a person carrying a flag that signalled the flow of traffic at industrial and construction sites. But today, with the development of the automated traffic light system things became much easier. The traffic light system can operate without any human intervention, for long durations and regardless of the weather and other conditions on the site. The industrial traffic lights help preserve the safety of the working environment and allow for fast and efficient movement of both people and vehicles.