Workplace Lighting Regulations

Do you have sufficient workplace lighting at your work? Take a look at the consequences of poor lighting and the current regulations on workplace lighting.

Do you suffer from tired eyes, pains in your neck or headaches, concentration problems? Perhaps you have poor lighting or no lighting at all. Frequently you try to adjust your body position, which over time results in muscular-skeletal injuries. Consequently, it is important to choose the right lighting.

Whether you’re at a desk or on the factory floor it is essential to have the appropriate lighting conditions to allow you to complete your job safely and efficiently. By law your employer must ensure that your workplace has ‘suitable and sufficient lighting’ as detailed in The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Where possible this light should be natural light however in many industrial environments this is not always possible or practical. In these cases artificial lighting must be installed.

Staff need to be able to identify hazards quickly and can only do so with proper lighting eg. Obstacles in a warehouse or falling items etc.

Poor lighting consequences to health:

· Eye strain

· Migraines and headaches

· Lethargy

· Irritability

· Poor concentration

· Neck pain

Poor lighting consequences to organisations:

· Time off work due to accidents, injuries or health problems listed above

· Reduced staff efficiency and productivity

A study by Bommel, Beld and Ooyen (2002) found that :

‘Good lighting on the task and in the workplace is essential for optimal task performance, especially with a progressively aging workforce. The effects of good lighting, extend much further since over the last two decades (medical) science has consistently shown the positive influence of light on health and well-being. Better lighting contributes positively to task performance (in terms of higher speed and lower failure rate), safety and accidents rate, absenteeism, health and well-being. In the metal industry, for example, good lighting can be expected to increase productivity by about 8 %.’

So essentially with the correct level of lighting company's can increase productivity meaning more profit and fewer accidents!

Improved lighting conditions are a sound investment:

Too strong light, incorrect incidental light, reflections and shadows counteract precision and speed as well as increase the risk of accidents. It is important that the lights are positioned so that you do not have to work with the light in your field of vision and that you have the opportunity to adapt the lighting to suit your needs.

With the right lighting

· You can adjust the lighting to suit just your needs

· Reflections and glare are eliminated

· There are fewer errors and productivity increases

· You are not as tired

· The risk of workplace accidents decreases

LED lights are the optimal lighting solution for confined areas and for extreme working conditions. Advantages of LEDs include; very long life (50,000 hours), low energy consumption, environmental advantages.

We offer a large range of workplace lighting including, machine lights, desk lights, fluorescent lighting and magnifier lamps to suit your kind of work. Take a look through our website or contact us to discuss your needs. We’re confident we can find the right solution for you.