Workplace lighting standards
Illumination is an important parameter for creating a comfortable workplace. It affects the productivity of labor, production performance and is directly related to human health. In this article we will try to understand in detail the main characteristics of the indicator, its types and regulated documents.
Illumination standards for workplaces
Each category of workplace has its own standards, some of which are listed below:
- Higher precision (2000 to 5,000 lux) - for jewelry production, watch shops. In the areas of manual soldering and assembly of electronic products.
- High accuracy (750 to 2000 lux) - for sewing, printing, furniture production.
- Medium precision (400 to 750 lux) - for metalworking shops, assembly shops, paint shops and dyeing rooms.
For regular workplaces, the requirements are much lower:
- The packing areas and the goods dispensing areas must have illumination of at least 300 lux;
- Standard office workstations - 350 lux;
- The workplaces of architects, planners, and designers should have an illumination level of 500 lux or more;
- Meeting rooms and auxiliary rooms - a matter of individual approach, but 200 lux - usually enough.
Speaking of lumens and lux..
In the certificate of any luminaire you can find such an indicator as luminous flux. It indicates the intensity of light emitted by this luminaire in a certain solid angle. It is measured in
lumens (Lm).
However, illuminance is characterized through
luxes (Lx), that is, through the ratio of luminous flux to the area of the illuminated surface. In particular: one lux is equal to one lumen per square meter of area.
Understanding the difference between lumens and lux is very useful for everyone, but it is not enough to decide on a particular workplace lighting solution. Illuminance is not the only factor to consider.
By type of workplace lighting
The bulk of workplaces have three main sources of light, each with its own characteristics:
- natural light is present during the day in rooms that have windows or elements of transparent roofs. For the human eye, this is the most comfortable type of lighting;
- Mixed type of lighting appears when there is a lack of sunlight and additional light sources are turned on. Most often these are local lighting devices;
- artificial lighting is used when there are very few or no natural sources of light. This type of lighting is divided into several varieties - working, emergency, security and duty lighting;
If the room has no optical connection to the outside world, only artificial lighting works on such an object.
How to regulate the illumination of workplaces
In the design of industrial and domestic buildings and facilities, and the subsequent organization of places of work, there are two main types of regulatory documents:
- Construction Norms and Rules are used in the direct design of buildings, the requirements for lighting are laid down in them at the stage of working drawings;
- Sanitary Rules and Norms are clarifying documents SNiP and apply to the organization of specific places in already built buildings.
Here it should be noted that inspections by regulatory bodies are conducted for compliance with Norms.
Other lighting parameters
In addition to the direct illumination of the workplace, measured in lux, the light characteristics include other requirements, which are designated as the glare index and the pulsation factor of the light source. The required values of the former are in the range of 10 to 40%, and the pulsation factor should not exceed 15%.
Conclusion
Analyzing workplace lighting standards, it's easy to conclude that you can spend a lot of time looking for a solution. We believe the fastest way to find the right solution is to call us for a free consultation.
