The Safety Business

Case Study – Lighting

Problem

The company had a temporary base with a basement in which 25 people were working.

Several of the team had complained about headaches which got steadily worse during the afternoon.

During our inspection we found the headaches coincided with sunlight entering the basement, causing glare on the computer screens.

We also discovered the overhead lights were contributing to the problem. They were fitted with an up-lit trough mess reflector. A very bright light was emitted in the space between the mesh and the top reflector.  This gave out either yellow or white light in different parts of the room.

To comply with the HSE Guide Lighting at Work, the obvious solution would have been to fit anti glare blinds, and replace the artificial lighting.  However the company had a short-term lease on the building. They wanted to avoid spending large amounts of money on permanent fixtures.

Also we felt that blinds would cause more visual problems and would have a negative effect on the team’s well-being.

Our advice

Our advice was not only simple but cheap.

We recommended applying a coat of Windowlene to each window to reduce sun glare.  It may seem a little odd but as it strapline claims, ‘it simply does the job’! We also suggested moving those affected to other areas within the basement.

As for the artificial lighting, we recommended using the orange plastic used in TV and film studios to cover lights. We suggested clipping it across the gap between the mesh and the top reflector of the light fitting to reduce glare.

Another recommendation was to use free-standing up lights. The lights were fitted with metal shades that hid the bulb and eliminated glare.  The lamps gave out a very good overhead light that could be adjusted by dimmer switch according to each person’s needs and light levels in the room.