Laboratory Lighting Design

Lighting for a clinical, diagnostic and research laboratory are challenging projects. Laboratories generally carry Biosafety Level Classifications of 1, 2 or 3.

Biosafety Level 1 (BL1) facilities are appropriate for work involving no known or minimal hazard. The facility is not separated from the general traffic patterns of the building and requires no special design. Work is generally conducted on open benchtops. Mechanical ventilation is non-recirculating with ten room air changes per hour. Typical facilities include high schools, junior colleges and municipal water testing facilities.

Biosafety Level 2 (BL2) facilities are appropriate for clinical, diagnostic and advanced teaching activities. Work may be conducted with a broad spectrum of indigenous moderate risk agents associated with human diseases of varying severity. Procedures with high aerosol potential must be conducted in a biological safety cabinet. Facility requirements generally include:

• Self closing lockable door
• Autoclave for decontamination of bio-hazardous waste
• Class II biological safety cabinet
• Walls of solid construction from floor to structure above
• Optional inward directional airflow. (negative pressure)
• Emergency shower

Biosafety Level 3 (BL3) lab is applicable to facilities in which work is done with indigenous or exotic agents which may cause serious or lethal disease. The laboratory has special engineering and design features. In general a BL3 lab is a lab within a lab. The outer lab is the surface and preparation area. Facility requirements generally include:

• Water resistant interior surfaces.
• Monolithic floors.
• No suspended acoustical panel ceilings
• Sealed or sealable penetrations in the walls and ceilings. Includes lights, conduit and utility lines.
• Negative air pressure ventilation
• HEPA filter system

Lighting:

Footcandles - The IES recommends 50 to 200 footcandles depending on the task.

Lamps – may be linear fluorescent, compact fluorescent or white Metal Halide. These lamps, are available with quiet electronic ballasts. Most sizes offer dimming.

Fixtures – Guth offers the following fixture series to meet most laboratory requirements:

Bio-Seal is a seam welded grid or flange troffer with an IP66 and Class1 Division 2 hazardous listing. It is listed as dust-tight and waterproof from heavy jets of water. Its standard aluminum housing is light weight and provides longer ballast life than stainless steel or CRS. Doors are SS, CRS or aluminum.
Kleenseal series offers a sealed housing and door construction. Fixtures are grid or flange. They are certified for class 100 cleanrooms, National Sanitation Foundation and light to moderate hose-down. They are wet location and Class1 Division 2 listed. Standard housings are aluminum with either stainless steel, CRS or aluminum doors.
Enviroguard Tube is a 2, 4 or 8 foot direct/indirect fixture available with 2 down and 1 lamp up. The fixture is constructed of impact resistant, low brightness prismatic acrylic and SS end caps. The fixture is suitable for high pressure hose-down and is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation.
Enviroguard Lowbay family is available in 12”, 16” and 22” clear, soft-glo acrylic or aluminum reflectors. It is available with single and multiple compact fluorescent lamps and 70 to 400 watt MH. Fixture are available in most TigerDryloc finishes. All the fixtures are listed for wet locations, 40°C ambients and certified by the National Sanitation Foundation.