Product Code: ILSC2011_1002

Assessing the Safety of Entertainment Lighting
Authors:
John O'Hagan, Health Protection Agency; Oxfordshire Great Britain
Marina Khazova, Health Protection Agency; Didcot Great Britain
Ron Bonner, Professional Lighting and Sound Association; Eastbourne Great Britain
Presented at ILSC 2011

The introduction of legislation in Europe covering worker exposure to optical radiation has presented challenges for the entertainment industry. This was highlighted following an injury to a member of staff working in front of a spotlight. Assessments were carried out on a range of lighting systems used in the entertainment industry to identify the key issues and to determine simple assessment methodologies. The conclusion was that the main risk was from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which did not need to be emitted for most applications. For a range of sources it was possible to calibrate a low-cost lux meter against the spectrum from a know source and use that to assess similar sources.