An illumination ring for hard hats is a personal protective gear that fits on any standard hard hat and produces a 360º ring of light around the wearer to be seen from up to a quarter mile away.  In addition to providing illumnation for personal workspace, it also includes a 50-foot spotlight.

High-visibility safety apparel utilizes fluorescent colors and retroflective material to help increase worker visibility but may require a secondary light source to activate those safety properties.  However, an illumination ring for hard hats, such as HALO SL from Illumagear, can provide active illumination and maximize the effectiveness of worker visiblity when used in combination with passive high-visibility safety apparel (figure 1).


Figure 1. Illumagear product worn with high-visibility apparel. (Photo courtesy of Illumagear, Inc.)

The HALO SL can produce up to 276 lumens for 360 degrees in the max light mode.  Underneath the ring, it incorporates two task lights angled to illuminate a personal workspace and walking area for up to 262 lumens.  In addition, the center of the HALO SL also includes a 406 lumens spotlight that can illuminate work areas at a distance up to 50 feet. 

Weighing in at 10 ounces, the HALO SL has a battery life ranging from 1.5 to 121+ hours powered by a rechargeable single lithium ion 18650 cell (charger included).  It is IP67 rated for dust-proof and water resistant. Figure 2 is a non-exhaustive list of some hard hat manufacturers that HALSO SL is compatible with.

 

Figure 2.  Example of compatible hard hats for the HALO SL. (Photo courtesy of Illumagear, Inc.)

There is no regulations for active personal lighting in construction zones.  OSHA has minimum requirements for area lighting which can be found in OSHA 1926.56. Area lighting is based on the idea of blanketing an area of the jobsite in light, thereby generally illuminating all work areas and personnel at all times. However, accomplishing this may be challenging as workers and equipment are constantly moving around dynamic construction jobsites. In reality, area lighting serves a purpose but it does not actively illuminate all workers or all work areas at all times.  In all, one should note using this equipment cannot replace illumination of all work areas suggested by OSHA.

For personnel, OSHA mandates no minimum requirements for active illumination. Instead, OSHA defers to ANSI's retroreflective standards.  ANSI presently focuses all high-visibility requirements based on fluorescent and retroreflective materials.

The Halo Light is not UL listed for hazardous locations such as combustible fibers, dusts, and flammable liquids such as spilled fuel or oil. Remove Halo Light during vehicle repair operations or fuel spills.  However, Illumagear intends to introduce an intrinsically safe version of the product for potentially explosive environments in the future.

The Halo light does have an IP Rating of 67 to protect against dust, dirt, and water.

The components including the LED, battery pack, charger and lighting components have been tested to IEC standards.

As is the case with any construction equipment, users should follow manufacturer safety recommendations and comply with any applicable local, state or federal regulations. 

Illumagear did not specifically describe personal protective equipment during disposal and clean up of a damaged Halo Light.
 

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