What is Anti Ligature Lighting?

In secure environments like mental health facilities, custodial settings, and rehabilitation centres, anti-ligature lighting plays a crucial element in forming the design of a space and user experience. Also referred to as ligature resistant lighting, this type of lighting is specially engineered to minimise the risk of self harm by removing potential ligature points.

But what exactly is anti-ligature lighting, and how does a specialist manufacturer like Designplan design lighting that delivers safety, durability, and a therapeutic atmosphere?

What Is Anti-Ligature Lighting?

Anti-ligature lighting (now more commonly known as ligature resistant lighting) refers to light fixtures designed to prevent the attachment of cords, wires, or other materials that could be used for self harm. These fittings are a critical safety feature in high risk environments. Such as psychiatric hospitals, behavioural health units, prisons, and secure care settings.

To be effective, anti-ligature lighting must:

• Eliminate anchor points
• Feature smooth, rounded surfaces
• Use tamper resistant fastenings
• Be impact and vandal resistant
• Comply with hygiene and cleaning standards
• Provide safe, comfortable light output

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What Does Anti Ligature Mean?

When people are in crisis or dealing with complex behavioural challenges, every part of their environment matters—including the lighting. Anti-ligature lighting isn’t just about removing risk—it also contributes to a calming, therapeutic space that can aid recovery or rehabilitation.

How We Design Anti-Ligature Lighting

1. Expert Collaboration

We work closely with healthcare professionals, architects, and facilities managers to develop lighting solutions based on real world needs. This ensures our products are practical, functional, and improve the well being and safety of both residents and staff.

2. Minimising Ligature Risks

Every anti-ligature luminaire is carefully designed to reduce potential ligature points. Common design features include:
• Sloped, curved or contoured surfaces
• Flush-mounted enclosures
• Tamper-proof fixings and sealed housings
• Shatterproof polycarbonate diffusers

3. Reliable Construction

Our anti-ligature lighting products are built to withstand demanding environments. They are high impact (IK rated), and high IP-rated for moisture and particle ingress, and tested for durability, vandal resistance, and ease of cleaning. This makes them ideal for all applications.

We design ligature resistant light fittings by minimising the gap between the diffuser and body and testing the slope angle for a 20 kg weight to slide off. Tamper-proof screws and anti-pick mastic prevent breaches and misuse. 95% of our secure health luminaires can be easily disassembled and reassembled for maintenance after mastic application.

4. Therapeutic Lighting Design

Lighting can have a profound impact on mental health. We incorporate features like low glare, uniform light distribution, and circadian rhythm friendly colour temperatures to help create a calm, restful environment that supports recovery.

5. Custom Solutions for Complex Spaces

Every secure facility is different. We offer a wide range of anti-ligature lighting options, from ceiling and wall-mounted fixtures to recessed fittings—each tailored to specific risk levels and spatial requirements.

Balancing Safety with Healing

Anti-ligature lighting plays a vital role in reducing self harm risk, but it also needs to support dignity and comfort. We understand that lighting must be more than just safe; it must also feel therapeutic and welcoming.

This approach ensures that secure health spaces and other secure environments feel less like institutions and more like places of care, safety, and recovery.

As the industry continues to shift toward ligature resistant lighting (formerly known as anti-ligature lighting), the goal remains the same: to save lives and support vulnerable individuals through thoughtful, well engineered design.