When lives depend on a stick of light! Cyalume

At the National Rail Awards ceremony in London on September 15, 2011, French chemical light maker Cyalume Technologies SAS was widely commended as a supplier of innovative, advanced technology aimed at improving the safety conditions in rail yards with its range of "SNAPLIGHT" light sticks.

A joint Franco-British project to develop a product made for the working conditions on railway worksites.

After testing them in 12 “pilot” rail yards in London in 2010, the Amey company took an innovative step in safety, deciding to expand its use of Cyalume® light sticks.
Amey Health and Safety Advisor David Sowter explains:
"Amey performs a significant amount of work on the railways of the United Kingdom. Much of this work is done at night to minimize traffic disruption. Security is at the heart of our concerns. I am delighted that my idea for improving safety has been adopted by Amey."
Cyalume Technologies SAS and Amey worked together to adapt the existing features of "Cyalume SNAPLIGHTS®” to the specific needs of railway maintenance work.
Today these light sticks provide a guaranteed 12 hours of light resulting in improved safety for workers and making it easier to locate cables which had previously been marked only by a stroke of spray paint, which is not visible at night.
The use of these variously colored, no-maintenance light tubes alerts all rail workers to potential hazards and helps distinguish personnel belonging different divisions.

Better protection for people – and the environment
Another use for Cyalume® light sticks
Cyalume® light sticks serve as an alternative to traditional rail yard lighting towers, usually powered by generators.
With SNAPLIGHT products from Cyalume® the noise and fumes from generators can be completely eliminated. This leads to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.
Reducing the use of generators also yields substantial savings by reducing the consumption of diesel fuel.
An innovative idea that benefits the entire rail industry, and which Network Rail urges all of its subcontractors to use
Network Rail supported Amey's experiment throughout the entire testing period. It advocates the improvement of safety for rail yard workers by expanding the use of SNAPLIGHT® products by the various British subcontractors.

"We are proud to have developed a product that improves the safety of nighttime railway maintenance work and look forward to presenting our expertise to other agencies and organizations in the coming months," said Nathalie Rizzo, CEO of Cyalume Technologies SAS

An experiment that can also apply to other sectors
The experiment conducted with the rail industry is entirely transferable to other sectors. Easy to use and economical, Cyalume® light sticks may well prove to be a major factor in improving safety conditions for a variety of infrastructure maintenance sites (construction, nuclear, etc.) as well as emergency services (fire, police, etc.).

About Cyalume Light Technologies.
Cyalume Technologies is the world leader in chemiluminescent (chemical-light) technology. The Company's suite of visible and non-visible chemical-light products provide dependable training and battlefield operation light solutions to the United States and NATO country militaries as well as to safety professionals across the globe. Products also include training and tactical chemiluminescent ammunition payloads for both military and commercial markets that offer a non-pyrotechnic, environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional ammunition. Cyalume Technologies Inc manufactures its products in West Springfield, Massachusetts and in its wholly-owned subsidiary Cyalume Technologies SAS based in Aix-en-Provence, France.