Signify urges industry to adopt UV-C Safety Guidelines issued by Global Lighting Association

July 17, 2020

New UV-C applications against COVID-19 must be pursued, but require vigilance

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – To meet the increasing demand for new UV-C-based disinfection applications and address associated safety requirements, Signify has contributed to, and adopted the UV-C Safety Guidelines published by the Global Lighting Association. The company has applied these guidelines, in conjunction with other applicable standards, to its new range of UV-C disinfection solutions.

Earlier this year, the Global Lighting Association brought together industry experts and developed guidelines to assist users and manufacturers to ensure that UV-C technology and products are used safely at all times. These guidelines build on the principles of internationally accepted standards such as IEC 62471, the photobiological safety standard, and they prescribe additional technical and procedural safeguards.

“By adopting the Global Lighting Association guidelines, we provide a further level of confidence in the safe deployment of UV-C technologies. We urge other manufacturers to follow suit and adhere to these new industry guidelines,” she added.

Using standardized irradiance measurements and risk group classifications for UV-C products as the basis, the guidelines provide further requirements for applicable technical safeguards, such as presence detection, controlled access or containment, as well as detailed guidance on the use of warning labels, user manuals and instructional trainings for the safe use of UV-C technology.

On June 16, Signify and the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University confirmed research results that validate the effectiveness of Signify’s UV-C light sources on the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Signify is the global leader in UV-C light sources and has been at the forefront of UV technology for more than 35 years. It has a proven track record of innovation in UV-C lighting, which is designed, manufactured and installed in line with the highest safety standards.

Position Statement on Germicidal UV-C Irradiation: UV-C Safety Guidelines may be downloaded from

the Global Lighting Association’s website.¹

1: Accessible at: https://www.globallightingassociation.org/library#PositionPapers.