A simple guide to health risk assessment-lighting in offices.pdfVIP

LIGHTING IN OFFICE 2 his guide is intended to help employers and employees assess the health risks associated with lightng in their workplace. Such assessments can be no more than an examination of what, in the course of work, could possibly cause harm to people. By following this guide, you may identify hazards, the degree of risk and the possible solutions. T LIGHTING Lighting is an essential provision for any workplace. It is preferrable to provide uniform illumination over the entire workplace by combining both natural and artificial lighting. Localised lighting may be required in certain cases to cut costs and improve illumination. Good lighting helps us to see and to recognise hazards. It can reduce visual strain and discomfort. Poor lighting may affect workers performance and health as poor visibility increases the chances of errors being made. It also means that people work slower. Besides, natural working posture may not be possible under poor lighting, thus resulting in musculo-skeletal strain. Fig. 1. Different Light Provisions (a) General Uniform (b) Localised (c) Local November 1998 3 LIGHTING IN OFFICE RISK ASSESSMENT The following checklist is designed to help you assess the health risks at your workplace. Answer all the questions and if your answer(s) is the same as that indicating “potential hazards”, there are deficiencies in the safety system or there are situations that can cause health hazards/ accidents. You are advised to go through the guidance materials presented in the following sections and apply suitable solutions to eliminate or reduce the health hazards. Should you get matched answers in question 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 10, you will probably experience visual strain or fatigue and may require immediate remedial actions. The checklist may not cover all the situations in your workplace. You are free to add more or modify the questions to suit your specific needs. LIGHTING IN OFFICE 4 1. Is there only natural or general