As we head into the busy lighting season, we get lots of questions about what are the right levels of light for particular projects and workspaces.
There are no statutory workplace lighting levels in the UK but this short guide from the HSE helps identify the minimum criteria required:
| Activity | Typical locations/types of work | Average illuminance (lux) lx. | Minimum measured illuminance (lux) lx. |
| Movement of people, machines and vehicles | Lorry, 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 detail | Kitchens, factories assembling large components, potteries | 100 | 50 |
| Work requiring perception of detail | Offices, sheet metal work, book binding | 200 | 100 |
| Work requiring perception of fine detail | Drawing offices, factories assembling electronic components, textile production | 500 | 200 |
It’s important that you have the right lighting in place before work starts and consider that the more detailed the task, the greater the light requirement. Find the lighting tower to suit you here.