PROPER LIGHTING IN THE WORKPLACE
Proper Lighting In The Workplace
Proper lighting makes all work tasks easier. Appropriate lighting can reduce eye fatigue and headaches, increase the visibility of safety hazards, and decrease the chance of accidents and injuries from momentary low field vision.
Choose from the following available resources:
Choose from the following available resources:
Lighting Ergonomics General
Proper lighting makes all work tasks easier. People receive about 85 percent of their information through their sense of sight. Appropriate lighting, without glare or shadows, can reduce eye fatigue and headaches; it can prevent workplace accidents by increasing the visibility of moving machinery and other safety hazards. Good quality lighting also reduces the chance of accidents and injuries from "momentary blindness" (momentary low field vision due to eyes adjusting from brighter to darker, or vice-versa, surroundings).
The ability to "see" at work depends not only on lighting but also on:
Please also see:
Daylight: How much daylight reaches inside a building depends on the architecture of the building (does the building have windows; how big; how are they oriented?), the amount and direction of sunlight, cloud cover, local terrain, and the season. The cleanliness of the windows is important as well. The amount of daylight entering the workplace can be controlled with tinted glass, window blinds, curtains, and awnings. Daylight is desirable in the workplace providing it does not cause glare or make the work area too bright.
Remember, not enough light can also be a problem so even in workplaces where daylight is available, it is essential to have a good electric lighting system.
Electric Lighting: The amount of light, the colour of the light itself and the colour that objects appear vary with the type of electric lighting. The lighting must match the workplace and the task. The following are common types of bulbs.
Proper lighting makes all work tasks easier. People receive about 85 percent of their information through their sense of sight. Appropriate lighting, without glare or shadows, can reduce eye fatigue and headaches; it can prevent workplace accidents by increasing the visibility of moving machinery and other safety hazards. Good quality lighting also reduces the chance of accidents and injuries from "momentary blindness" (momentary low field vision due to eyes adjusting from brighter to darker, or vice-versa, surroundings).
The ability to "see" at work depends not only on lighting but also on:
- The time to focus on an object. Fast moving objects are hard to see.
- The size of an object. Very small objects are hard to see.
- Brightness. Too much or too little reflected light makes objects hard to see.
- Contrast between an object and its immediate background. Too little contrast makes it hard to distinguish an object from the background.
Please also see:
- Eye Discomfort in the Office
- Lighting Ergonomics - Survey and Solutions
- Lighting Ergonomics - Checklist
- Lighting Ergonomics - Light Flicker
Daylight: How much daylight reaches inside a building depends on the architecture of the building (does the building have windows; how big; how are they oriented?), the amount and direction of sunlight, cloud cover, local terrain, and the season. The cleanliness of the windows is important as well. The amount of daylight entering the workplace can be controlled with tinted glass, window blinds, curtains, and awnings. Daylight is desirable in the workplace providing it does not cause glare or make the work area too bright.
Remember, not enough light can also be a problem so even in workplaces where daylight is available, it is essential to have a good electric lighting system.
Electric Lighting: The amount of light, the colour of the light itself and the colour that objects appear vary with the type of electric lighting. The lighting must match the workplace and the task. The following are common types of bulbs.