The advancement of modern tech is truly a phenomenal event to witness. However, at the core of these creations and developments, industries play a vital role. Inside these industries, safety is an indispensable requirement. Standing as the backbone of these safety measures are the timeless addition of flashing beacons.
These beacons might seem small but stay crucial to maintain safety regulation and to secure the environment of any industry. But what are these beacons that stand among brilliant tech like cloud computing, AI, and more? Here’s a quick information on them:
What Are Amber Flashing Beacons?
Beacons are also known as Beacon Lights. These are basically light bulbs or leds that operate as signaling devices that operate on electronic power. It can either be in a standalone battery, or there could be a separate power supply for them. They usually start flashing or blinking when there’s an alarm, emergency, or hazard undergoing.
These beacons not only provide alerts for the caution, but also illuminate the ways enough for people to guide them to safety.
Different Colours of Beacons
Correlatively, there are different colours available in these beacon lights. Each light has a specific message associated with them. These different hues ensure better communication during the chaotic situation of a hazard:
- Red Beacon Lights: Red is the colour of danger and is usually used for immediate action and swift solution. There’s no time to spare or wait around.
- Amber Beacon Lights: An amber flashing beacon is close to red which shows imminent danger but requires vigilance and proper monitoring to mitigate.
- Blue Beacon Lights: Blue beacons usually symbolise a change or some form of modification or customization. If there’s an operator available, they are needed for the monitoring and fixes.
- Green Beacon Lights: Green beacons are there to assure that everything is working fine and in normal condition.
- White Beacon Lights: These are used to illuminate and lighten up the area to show path or direction. It doesn’t necessarily have a message.
These colour standards follow the international safety protocols. However, an industry may choose to add more beacons, or redefine a few of the meanings.
Types of Beacons
Beacons aren’t limited to just flashing. You might have seen rotating beacons used in the alarms and more. Here is a quick look at different types of beacons available in the market:
- Rotating Beacons: These beacons are used to provide visibility in all angles and usually have a motor-driven reflector to do the job with efficiency.
- Flashing Beacons: There can be fast or slow flashing beacons, depending on their internal circuits, that turn on and off for visual alertness or to showcase the urgency of the situation.
- Static Beacons: These are like the light bulbs and provide a constant output of light.
- Xenon Beacons: These beacons utilise xenon gas and are used primarily in areas that require high visibility to provide bright flashes.
- LED Beacons: Just an energy-efficient counterpart of the above-given beacons.
Use Of Beacons Across Industries
Beacons are used in a wide range of industries like manufacturing and warehousing areas to ensure efficiency and safety. You will also find them being used in the mining areas and construction sites to alert the workers of any hazardous situation.
In Oil and Gas, or chemical and pharmaceutical industries, these beacons can have specific meaning to show chemical or toxic leaks, or to signify certain kinds of safety gear requirements. Beacons are also used in the form of lighthouses for sea transportation, and in airports to illuminate the runway, among many other things. In short, beacons are available almost everywhere in our daily life.
