The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 state a number of requirements relating to lighting in the workplace including:
Regulation 8
- every workplace shall have suitable and sufficient lighting,
- natural lighting should be provided as far as reasonably possible,
- sufficient emergency lighting must be provided where needed.
Regulation 16
All windows and skylights in a workplace shall be designed and constructed so that they may be cleaned safely.
The Approved Code of Practice supporting these regulations requires the following:
- local lighting provided at individual workstations
- stairways should be well lit and outdoor traffic routes used by pedestrians should be adequately lit after dark
- lights should not be obscured
- lights should be replaced, repaired or cleaned to ensure an adequate level of lighting
- windows and skylights should be cleaned regularly
- emergency lighting should be powered by a source independent of that used for normal lighting
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced guidance document HSG38: Lighting at work which outlines suitable practices to aid the employer in providing adequate lighting in the workplace. This document provides a list of minimum lighting recommendations and applies to interior and exterior lighting intended for everyday use.
BS EN 12464-1:2011 Light and Lighting – Lighting of Work Places Part 1 also provides a list of lighting requirements for interior areas, tasks and activities.
The main objectives of the survey offered by eeuk are:
- to identify whether the artificial lighting levels are adequate during night time hours;
- to identify the lighting levels during day time hours due to the addition of natural light;
- to identify any areas of the workplace where lighting levels are below the recommended minimum measured illuminance; and to take into account the guidance given in HSE document HSG38
If you have any query are simply unsure do not hesitate to contact us.