Office Lighting & Workplace Lighting Guide

Legal regulations

The UK Health & Safety at Work Act of 1974 states that an employer has to ensure the health & safety of employees. The Act also includes a duty to provide adequate lighting to ensure work is undertaken safely. It also states that an employee's eyesight or health mustn't be jeopardised. Regulation no.8 of the Workplace Regulations Act 1992 specifically states that employers must ensure:

Every workplace should have suitable & sufficient lighting
This should be natural light, where possible
Emergency lighting should be provided where needed

For complete guidance on legislation around the amount of light needed in UK workplaces within the UK, please visit the Health and Safety Executive in HSG 38: Lighting at Work website to download the full regulations.

Light colour / colour temperature

The light colour or colour temperature is measured in Kelvin (K) and describes the individual inherent colour of white light, generally perceived as "cool" or "warm". The specification of the light colour in Kelvin should not be confused with colour-changing lighting technologies (RGB), in which light can shine in red, green or blue. A rough distinction between the three light colours is:

Warm white (<3,300 Kelvin) = cosy light for living spaces
Universal white (3,300 - 5,300 Kelvin) = light for working
Daylight (> 5,300 Kelvin) = bluish light for basement and utility rooms

LIGHTING EXAMPLES

Individual workstations, groups of desks and open-plan offices

A good ratio of indirect and directed light ensures that lighting conditions are as comfortable as possible for the eyes and removes shadows. Several lights are necessary to accomplish this, for example, an LED panel for large-area room lighting and a desk lamp for support. Some lights, such as uplighters, can also produce both types of light: an indirect light that shines towards the ceiling and direct light that illuminates the workspace.