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Warning beacon characteristics for visibility, glare prevention and closure detection.

Bullough JD; Rea MS

Proceedings of the 28th Session of the CIE, June 28-July 4, 2015, Manchester, United Kingdom. Vienna, Austria, International Commission on Illumination, 2015 Jun; :877-882

http://www.cie.co.at/index.php?i_ca_id=979

20046996

Front line service workers in the transportation, construction, utility and delivery sectors of the work force are over-represented in terms of work place fatalities. Flashing yellow warning beacons often are the only line of defence between these workers and drivers on the road. Standards for warning beacons include specifications for minimum intensity characteristics to ensure visual detection, for chromaticity to ensure that they can be distinguished from red and blue emergency vehicle flashing lights, and for the flash rate to ensure conspicuity and to prevent seizures among drivers with photosensitive epilepsy. Previous research has suggested that if warning beacons are too bright under nighttime viewing conditions, they could produce glare. Prior studies have also shown that it can be difficult to judge closing distance when lights flash in an on-off pattern compared to temporally modulating lights that do not go completely off. The results of two experiments of visual responses to warning lights are summarized. These findings can enhance the foundations for warning beacon standards.

Service-industries; Workers; Transportation-workers; Transportation; Construction-workers; Construction-industry; Lighting-systems; Drivers; Warning-signals; Warning-devices; Warning-systems; Author Keywords: Transportation signals; Flashing lights; Driving safety

20150601

Conference/Symposia Proceedings

bulloj@rpi.edu

Grant

2015

9783902842558

Grant-Number-R01-OH-010165

Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities

Proceedings of the 28th Session of the CIE, June 28-July 4, 2015 Manchester, United Kingdom

NY

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York