STORE SPACES
The Power of Light
UV-C lighting adds extra layer of protection for shoppers, employees By Keith Eagle Lighting can be used to enhance the visual appeal of products, create an inviting atmosphere and distinguish your brand for shoppers. It also offers the power to protect against viruses and bacteria. Ultraviolet lighting is not a new technology – it’s been around commercially for more than 40 years. But it has recently come back into the spotlight with the COVID-19 pandemic, as it’s proven to be a fast, effective disinfectant for air, surfaces and objects. UV lighting can play an important role in retail, enabling retailers to continue store operations while providing service in an environment designed with shoppers’ and staff’s well-being in mind. Before we dive into the technology’s broad range of applications, from improving stores’ air flow quality to disinfecting shelves and counters, let’s start with a little bit of science. Ultraviolet light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, a range of frequencies encompassing radio waves all the way to Xand gamma-ray imaging. The UV spectrum spans 100-400 nanometers (nm) and has three different bands:
• UVA (long-wave) from 315 to 400 nm • UVB (medium-wave) from 280 to 315 nm • UVC (short-wave) from 100 to 280 nm UV-A and UV-B are found in sunlight and responsible for giving you a suntan or burn from over exposure. UV-B assists in vitamin D production and is common in medical applications. UV-C from the sunlight is filtered out by the earth’s atmosphere — but has been found to be a highly effective form of disinfection, specifically at the 254 wavelength. UV-C light can break down the DNA of bacteria, viruses and spores, rendering them harmless and preventing them from replicating. A UV-C dosage formula has even been developed against a wide range of pathogens for direct, surface disinfection applications based on guidelines from UL, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and other proven research studies. Safety First When installing and using UV-C lighting, safety should always be prioritized. People and animals should not be directly exposed to the light source, as it is harmful to the skin and eyes. The Global Lighting Association, for example, has developed guidelines to ensure that UV-C products are manufactured, installed and supplemented with instructions to ensure safe use at all times. The effective and proper usage of a UV-C disinfection solution also relies on the right planning, application design, and maintenance and upkeep. There are three key methods of disinfection using the power of light. 1/Upper-Air Disinfection Upper-air UV-C systems can help supplement a retailer’s disinfection strategy, especially if options for increasing ventilation and filtration in the company’s stores are limited. This solution can be used when people are present since the installation height of the fixtures, combined with their indirect, angled light source, shielding and optics, radiates UV-C towards the ceiling or high on walls, places where it does not reach people. It is designed to continuously disinfect the air that flows through that upper area of the store, and mechanical ventilation and/ or natural convection moves the disinfected air back into the lower part, where shoppers and employees are located. The fixtures are environmentally-friendly and do not generate any ozone emissions during or after use. 2/Surface Disinfection Ceiling-mounted UV-C direct luminaires are another solution to supplement existing overnight cleaning processes for highcontact areas like shelves, counters and restrooms. Depending on the dose, disinfection can be done in a matter of minutes. This lamp-fixture combination can be controlled
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German grocery retailer Edeka Clausen disinfects hand scanners shared among employees by placing them in a UV-C disinfection chamber that resembles a microwave oven.
automatically to come on after operating hours. Because it radiates UV-C directly without shielding, it can only be used when no people are present. Control systems with safety features can help operate the solution. It can be preconfigured to incorporate audio warning alarms and motion sensors to trigger shutoff, for example. 3/Object Disinfection For small objects like phones, walkie-talkies and keys, UV-C disinfection can be applied through an enclosed chamber that looks something like an industrial microwave oven. German supermarket chain Edeka Clausen is using a chamber to quickly disinfect hand scanners shared among employees. All it takes is a press of a button, and the exposed surfaces of items placed inside the chamber are disinfected in a matter of minutes. Like the surface disinfection solution, the chamber is equipped with additional safety measures, such as door sensors and magnetic locks, to prevent it from being accidentally opened. UV-C lighting is truly an unsung technology and an important investment to protect and reassure shoppers and staff. It’s lasted for 40 years and can make an even bigger impact as part of retailers’ disinfection strategy as we transition to the next normal and prepare for what’s to come in the future. — Keith Eagle is VP and general manager, U.S. professional channel, Signify, whose brands include Philips. MAY/JUNE 2021 CHAINSTOREAGE.COM
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