Food Processing

There are a number of requirements that need to be taken into consideration when designing luminaires for food production areas. Whilst legislation and building standards seek to cover these, many large food producers go further to invoke their own more demanding standards.

Luminaires should be easy to clean with a design that prevents the accumulation of dust, dirt, fluids and other contaminants. Cleaning agents or ingredients can be corrosive and so careful selection of luminaire materials to minimise damage and ongoing maintenance is also important.

In general terms luminaires should be IP65 minimum, non-toxic, easy to clean, have reduced contamination risk and a shatterproof cover and body. Thorlux has a range of luminaires which comply with food production standards HACCP, IFS and BRC, please contact your local sales engineer or the technical helpline to discuss specific applications.

Food Processing Application Guide

Areas

Legislation And Standards

Food safety is the primary consideration, so it is covered by legislation and standards which need to be considered when designing lighting for food production. There are also specific standards and requirements for many sectors of the food industry. Additionally, many large food producers have developed their own engineering standards.

CIBSE: SLL Lighting Guide 1 - Industrial Environment provides detailed guidance for Food, Drink and Tobacco industries.

Lighting management systems

Thorlux offers a comprehensive range of lighting management systems from basic presence detection, through to full wireless control and monitoring systems.

SmartScan can provide a number of benefits in a food production environment. Energy can be saved by turning off luminaires in unoccupied areas, or by dimming and turning them off in areas that benefit from high levels of daylight.

SmartScan scene setting can be used to assign different lighting levels to specific tasks. For example, a higher illumination level may be set for cleaning than is used for production, particularly in areas where the production processes are automated.

SmartScan can also be used to test and monitor emergency lighting, ensuring a safe working environment. Air quality can also be monitored, recording temperature, humidity and CO₂ levels.

SmartScan Internal

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SmartScan Emergency

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Emergency Lighting

The extent and nature of the emergency lighting required in food processing applications is determined by the type of occupancy, the size and complexity of the site and the work undertaken. The mounting height of emergency luminaires is a major consideration. Access for maintenance will be needed, so ideally luminaires should be installed at manageable mounting heights, for example, on walls or clamped onto pillars using Dexion or similar brackets.

Emergency luminaires should meet the same standard of ingress protection as the general lighting. High and low ambient temperatures can be an issue for batteries in self-contained and maintained luminaires, so please contact our technical helpline for advice.

Thorlux offers a comprehensive range of emergency lighting control solutions from standalone emergency, through to full wireless control and monitoring systems.

The emergency lighting design must take into account the following:

Escape route signs
Stairs so that each flight receives direct light
Changes in floor level
Changes of escape route direction
Corridor intersections
First aid posts
Fire alarm call points or pieces of fire fighting equipment
Outside the final exit door and to a place of safety

Moving stairways and walkways
Toilet facilities exceeding 8 m² or any multiple closet facility without borrowed light
Toilet facilities for disabled use
Motor generator, control and plant rooms
Manual release controls for electronically locked doors
Escape equipment for disabled people
Refuges and call points, including disabled toilet call positions
All other areas as deemed by the Risk Assessment

Note: The majority of Thorlux luminaires are available with an integral emergency option including high output non-maintained luminaires ideal for greater mounting heights.