Warning lights or beacon lights as they're also known are unlike any type of light. While they still do the same as the lights in your home, their use is quite different. The light they emit is there to warn or alert people nearby of any dangers. Beacon lights are there to grab your attention and make you aware of a certain situation.
Safety is what warning strobe lights are able to provide in areas where the risk of a hazardous situation is high. Be it in manufacturing facilities where toxic chemicals are present or heavy machinery at a construction site, beacon lights are present to keep everyone clear from dangers. Since their use is widespread there are different colour warning lights.
Warning Light Colours
Amber
An amber or yellow warning light is used with automatic doors or forklifts. Yellow lights are used to warn people of dangerous conditions that could be imminent. Amber LED warning lights are used to keep people aware of their surroundings and alert them about any potential hazards. Areas with low visibility also make use of amber warning lights.
Red
A red flashing beacon light means there is immediate danger and that you should start moving away from the area the light is placed in. If the light is not flashing, it's then warning you about a hazard in which case you should stop or get out of the way.
Green
Although not as common as the above two, green warning lights are active when there is an emergency that's being taken care of. Green beacon lights are used to signify security or safety. The colour green is used to signify that everything is running as it should be.
Blue
With blue beacon lights, you are notified of a certain change. Be it regarding a security alarm or equipment being shut down, blue warning lights are not to be used on the road. Sometimes blue warning lights are used as an alternative to red LED warning lights.
White
A white beacon light is mainly used as a way to inform others of a moving vehicle, especially at long distances. Areas with poor visibility have white beacon lights to make other people wary of a certain type of machinery and equipment,
Magenta
Magenta beacon lights have quite a specific use case since they are representative of immediate danger from combustible gas. You should leave the area when you see an active magenta-coloured industrial warning light on, as there could be a gas leak.
Advantages of LED Warning Lights
Efficient
Notice how usually warning lights are powered by LED technology? While this isn't the only option it is the most efficient. When compared to their older counterparts, LED beacon lights do not experience much power loss. Since there are fewer parts and the process of generating light is simpler there isn't much heat generated. Meaning less power is lost.
Long-Lasting
By generating less heat than a typical light, LED beacon lights are able to outlive any other type of industrial warning light. Since less heat is generated there is less stress being put on surrounding components. This makes for quite a long lifespan and one that you won't see a drop in performance. Usually LED beacon lights can last up to 50,000 hours.
Bright
Talking about performance, something that LED beacons also excel at is their brightness levels. With a lower power consumption, LED beacons are able to produce either a brighter light or one with the same brightness as a halogen or Xenon light that has the same power consumption.
Types of Warning Lights
Navigation
A navigation beacon light is mainly used in the marine industry as it helps ships stay aware of their surroundings. This is possible even in the darkest of hours and thus ships are able to identify if other vessels are anchored or not so that a collision can be avoided easily.
Rotation
A rotating beacon light is seen used on emergency vehicles such as an ambulance or police cars. But rotating beacon lights are also used on top of construction vehicles and other moving machinery to let people close by know that said vehicle or machinery is in use.
Signalling
A signalling light is commonly used in aviation to help guide pilots and service vehicles inside an airport. The same way a traffic light works to direct the flow of vehicles, a signalling beacon light does the same. Hence why signalling warning strobe lights are available in different colours.
Conclusion
Staying safe and away from imminent or immediate danger is something beacon lights were made for. By simply installing the right type of warning light in the right location you can save a lot of people and prevent major disasters from happening. Even if an issue occurs you can minimise its effect on the environment and people that are close by.
