Lighting Surveys
Lighting is very important to the health and safety of everyone in the workplace. The quicker and easier it is to see a hazard, the more easily it is avoided. The results of lighting surveys present the types of hazard present at work which therefore determine the lighting requirements for safe operation.
Poor lighting at work can represent a significant cost to business in the form of:
- time off as a result of an accident
- injury reduced staff efficiency
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires employers to have arrangements in place to cover health and safety and to ensure the safety of its staff and others. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires lighting assessments, control, and review of workplace risks, and this includes consideration of lighting which needs to be suitable and adequate to meet the requirements of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Lighting Recommendations
Minimum lighting recommendations as published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in HSG38 “Lighting at work” (second edition – 2002):
| Activity | Typical Locations / Types of Work | Averahe Lux | Minimum Lux |
| Movement of people, machines and vehicles | Lorry park, corridors, circulation routes | 20 | 5 |
| Movement of people, machines and vehicles in hazardous areas; rough work not requiring any perception of detail | Construction site clearance, excavation, and soil work, loading bays, bottling, and canning plants | 50 | 20 |
| Work requiring limited perception of detail | Kitchens, factories assembling large components, potteries | 100 | 50 |
| Work requiring perception of detail | Offices, sheet metal work, bookbinding | 200 | 100 |
| Work requiring perception of fine detail | Drawing offices, factories assembling electronic components, textile production | 500 | 200 |
We are experienced in carrying out daytime & night-time lighting surveys in workplaces using a handheld digital light meter to determine lighting levels and to check compliance with HSE minimum lighting recommendations. Health and safety lighting surveys will highlight any lighting hazards and risks in the workplace and make lighting recommendations regarding lighting levels and maintenance requirements.