Table of Contents - Obiat Electronicsobiat.com.au/lighting_standards.pdf · • AS1680.1-2006, ‘Interior and workplace lighting - general principles and recommendations’ • AS/NZS

Paul Jacobs 8100334612 AS1 Industry Practice OH&S Research

Assessment # 1 OH&S Research

Workplace lighting standards for creative industries.

Table of Contents Introduction. ................................................................................................... 2 Overview – Measuring light. ......................................................................... 3

Overview – Lighting Standards .................................................................... 4 Overview – Lighting, and the Law.............................................................. 10

Competing Goals. ........................................................................................ 11 Conclusion. .................................................................................................. 11

Appendix - Photographic Method. ............................................................. 11 References and Bibliography/Resources.................................................. 12


Introduction. The following is an examination of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) standards relating to workplace lighting (interior illumination), specifically the suitability of the following Australian and ISO standards as applied to a creative industry work environment. This is a complex topic as it involves the legal position and industrial application of two separate and essentially opposed standards. Furthermore, to appreciate these standards a basic explanation of the measurement of light for the purpose of assessing room illumination is important to understanding the research. The fundamental problem is simply this; a healthy office environment is relatively well lit and but accurate work with a computer screen requires the room to be much darker. Inadequate lighting can lead to eyestrain and psychological problems. Depending on the jurisdiction and application, the recommended OH&S level of room lighting for an office environment is a minimum of 320 Lux* while the recommended light level for producing accurate and consistent screen based graphic work is between 32 Lux to 64 Lux. *An explanation of Lux and Lighting standards in subsequent sections. What follows is an explanation of measuring light using Lux values and expanding upon the two lighting standards in question. An example of light levels is provided with a photographic sequence demonstrating different illumination levels. Following this, a discussion of the OH&S consequences of light on workplace health and a proposed solution to the problem leads to a final conclusion.


Overview – Measuring light. To remain within the scope of this discussion we are concerned only with light measurement as applied to illumination as opposed to the other methods of light measurement for other purposes (i.e. colour temperature, photographic exposure, absolute radiant energy and so on). Lux is an International System value of measuring light that refers specifically to the measurement of visible light reflected from a solid surface known as Luminance (1). Lux values (typically abbreviated as lx) can be best understood with some simple examples:

• Bright cloudless day – 100 000 lx • Overcast day – 30 000 lx • Naturally lit house interior 150 lx • Street lighting at night - 15 lx • Clear night sky full moon – 1 lx (1)

The human eye is capable of adapting well to a wide range of lx levels. There is wide variation of lx levels across what may at first appear as similar conditions and there are significant variables involved in accurate and repeatable measurement. However in controlled indoor environments it is relatively easy to maintain a set level and therefore consistent and repeatable lx readings. To gain a reading a Lux meter is used to take an incident reading from five points over a given area reflecting the total light available (2) (using an invercone of diffuser over the meters “eye” and measuring over a uniform surface).


Overview – Lighting Standards The Australian Standards for workplace lighting are contained in:

• AS1680.1-2006, ‘Interior and workplace lighting - general principles and recommendations’

• AS/NZS 1680.2 series, ‘Interior and workplace lighting - specific applications’

Specifically relevant here is Part 2.2 – 2008 office and screen based tasks. The AS/NZ 1680 lighting standard for office environments is a minimum of 320 lx. It should be noted that any Australian Standard is only a recommendation and is note enforceable by law unless it is directly incorporated into legislation by government (3). The legal status of AS1680 is explained in the next section but it is generally recognized as an OH&S recommendation for those designing workplace lighting. Counter to AS1680 are the light levels required to meet industrial standards for performing consistent colour and density critical work (e.g. graphic, reprographic, photographic and cinematic work for hard output and screen reproduction – herein “creative industries”). The industrial standard set by the ISO (International Standards Organisation) that should be adopted across the creative industries is contained in:

• ISO 3664:2000 Viewing Conditions — Graphics technology and photography.

The ISO recommended standard for room lighting while viewing computer monitors to perform colour/density critical work (e.g. design) is a range from 32 to 64 lx. (4) (5) The importance in producing accurate work that can be viewed and reproduced by others in the production process is vitally important. While many other factors come into play such as screen calibration and viewing angle, it can be simply noted that viewing a screen in a bright room as opposed to a dark room does noticeably affect the


eyes response to what is being viewed on screen and therefore the work being produced. 320 lx is fine for computer work involving general office and administrative tasks but it is many times brighter compared to the industrial standard. To give an approximation of what these various standards look like a series of photographs of the same environment lit to differing lx levels is provided on the following page The limitations to objectively reproducing these conditions a re provided in the Appendix - Photographic method.


Photographic examples

14 lx - no light

35 lx – small reading lamp – bottom range of ISO 3664:2000 standard 32 lx


62 lx - reading lamp moved closer – top range of ISO 3664:2000 standard 64 lx

81 lx - main room lights


280 lx -natural outdoor light

350 lx - natural outdoor light + main room lights (note clean separation of steps on gray scale) - AUS1680 standard for office minimum of 320 lx


350 lx - main room lights + photographic lamp (note clean separation of steps on gray scale) – AUS1680 standard for office minimum of 320 lx

2800 lx - natural outdoor light + main room light + photographic lamp (note balance between indoor and outdoor light levels)


Overview – Lighting, and the Law. The AS1680 standards recommend varying levels and types of lighting suitable for a particular workplace and the type of activity or employment undertaken. In Queensland these standards are not lawfully binding. Standards Australia may set standards but these are not enforceable unless incorporated into the relevant legislation. The Queensland Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 Chapter 3 Division 2 - 40 p57 simply state: “lighting enables – (i) Each worker to carry out work without Risk to health and safety; and (ii) Persons to move within the workplace without risk to health and safety; and (iii) Safe evacuation in an emergency;” (6) Compare this to the South Australian workplace regulation that specifically refers to the AS1680 standard as a lawful requirement (7). As of the first of January this year, the Federal Government has initiated a process of Work Place Health and Safety Harmonisation that directs all State Government OH&S regulation to be standardized (8). However this is a process that is only just underway and it remains to be seen if some regulations rise to meet the highest standards or fall to meet the lowest. A specific reference to light levels, like many other workplace standards may be found in the Award Conditions from State and Federal jurisdictions, but Awards will only cover employees within certain occupations.


Competing Goals. The consequences for physical and psychological health due to workplace lighting are straight forward; “Working in dim or overbright work environments can result in eyestrain, headaches, irritability and, inevitably, reduced productivity…. Low levels of lighting can cause depression, which for some people may be severe.” (my italics) (9) What options are there to create and accurate design work in an environment that meets AS1680 standards. Frequent breaks are often recommended as a solution to the OH&S risks of screen based work but once again lawfully enforceable Regulation Breaks are dictated by Awards not the overarching Workplace Health and Safety Regulations. A carefully designed workspace presents the best option. The photographer Kevin Mills has detailed his efforts in making a compliant and comfortable work area on his website (5). Using a mixture of careful backlighting with variable main lighting and carefull consideration of the various surfaces with in a space he demonstrates an approach that look feasible and effective.

Conclusion. Workplace lighting cannot be neglected as an OH&S issue especially when special requirements are need for particular industries. Like wise, industrial standards in the creative industries are important and with a bit of thought and effort an accommodation can be reached.

Appendix - Photographic Method. The limitations of using photography to objectively capture and reproducing light levels to accurately match the reading obtained by a Lux meter present significant problems. Taking the camera’s recommended exposure as a starting point manual adjustments in exposure were applied to replicate what the eyes sees (typically 1-3 Εν/ f-stop with lower lx levels receiving more exposure). Further complications arise (as with viewing any image) due to the variations in screen setting between content producer and user. While not perfect the reproduction does fairly approximate the viewed reality.


References and Bibliography/Resources. ANSI PH2.30-1989 For Graphic Arts and Photography – Color Prints, Transparencies, and Photo Mechanical Reproductions – Viewing Conditions. (1) The Basics of Efficient Lighting – A reference manual for training in efficient light principles. First Edition 2009, National Framework for Energy Efficiency. Ministerial Council on Energy & Federal department of Resources. (2) Resorce Smart Victoria, Lux Meter www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au (3) Standards Australia, What is a Standard & Standards and the Law. www.standards.org.au (4) www.iso.org (5) www.kevinmillsphoto.com/2008/10/lighting-your-workspace/ (6) Queensland Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. Queensland Government. www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/ (7) Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 2010, Government of South Australia. www.legislation.sa.gov.au (8) Harmonisation of WHS laws in Australia – a brief introduction. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. Queensland Government. (9) Workplace and Environment from Department of Education and Training Queensland. education.qld.gov.au/health/docs/.../workplace-environment.doc Queensland Work Health and Safety Act 2011.Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. Queensland Government. Guide to Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. Queensland Government


Documents

Table of Contents - Obiat Electronicsobiat.com.au/lighting_standards.pdf · • AS1680.1-2006, ‘Interior and workplace lighting - general principles and recommendations’ • AS/NZS