Researchers at the US-American National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) set out to discover whether alternative lighting methods could
provide more effective lighting and improve safety in the mining environment.
Initial research explored the effectiveness of a NIOSH-developed light-emitting
diode (LED) cap lamp when compared to both a traditional incandescent and a
commercially-available LED cap lamp; the NIOSH product reduced disability
glare-crucial for seeing any hazard-by up to 54%.6 The latest NIOSH-developed
LED cap lamp is more flexible than other cap lamps, with the capacity to better
illuminate mine hazards and to adjust lighting distribution and intensity. When
compared to other commercially-available LED cap lamps, this newest design
improved floor hazard detection up to 194%, and improved peripheral motion
detection-crucial for detecting moving machinery hazards-up to 79%. These
impressive results have led to 5 changes in the international standard for cap
lamps used in mines that will be published by the International
Electrotechnical Commission in early 2012, impacting the manufacturing of all
future cap lamps. In addition, one cap lamp manufacturer has used the research
results to update their testing and product, including changes in light beam
distribution and LED color temperature. It is likely that additional cap lamp
manufacturers will make similar modifications in order to remain competitive in
the marketplace. These changes to cap lamp manufacturing and standards have the
capacity to dramatically improve mine illumination worldwide and decrease the
risk of injury and death among underground miners.

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AplusA-online.de - Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)