Office Furniture > Furniture Buying Guide > Ergonomic Lighting Buying Guide

Office Lighting Hazards

Office lighting, although often overlooked, can have a large effect on the comfort and health of your workers or employees. Poor lighting will cause users to strain themselves to see effectively which can cause tension in the neck, back and shoulders as well as headaches if prolonged. It is important to have adequate lighting throughout the entire office inlcluding appropriate overhead lighting and personal task lighting for reading material and other papers that will be viewed in close proximity. It is also important to have the correct brightness. Lights that are too bright will damage the eyes and can cause headaches. Lighting that is too low can cause eye strain and muscle tension.

 
Lighting
  • Bright light sources behind the display screen can create contrast problems, making it difficult to clearly see your work.
  • Eye straining and headaches are often caused when there is high contrast between light and dark areas of the monitor.
  • Display screens can appear to be "washed out" if there is too much lighting or bright lighting shining on your monitor. This will cause the user to over-exert themselves in an effort to see better causing damage to their eyes.
Glare
  • Eye fatigue and strain can often be the result of reflected light that makes images show on the monitor which decrease the users ability to clearly see their monitor screen.

 

How to Find Ergonomic Lighting

 
Quick tips for your office lighting
  • Place rows of lights parallel to your line of sight.
  • Provide light diffusers so that desk tasks can be performed while limiting direct brightness on the computer screen.
  • Remove the middle bulbs of 4-bulb fluorescent light fixtures to reduce the brightness of the light to levels more compatible with computer tasks if diffusers or alternative light sources are not available.
  • Provide supplemental task lighting to adequately illuminate writing and reading tasks while limiting brightness around monitors.
  • Use blinds or drapes on windows to eliminate bright light. Blinds and furniture placement should be adjusted to allow light into the room, but not directly into your field of view.
  • Use indirect or shielded lighting where possible and avoid intense or uneven lighting in your field of vision. Ensure that lamps have glare shields or shades to direct light away from your line of sight.
  • For computer work, use well-distributed diffuse light. The advantage of diffuse lighting is that there are fewer glare surfaces in the visual field, and the contrasts created by the shape of objects tend to be softer.
  • Use light, matte colors and finishes on walls and ceilings to better reflect indirect lighting and reduce dark shadows and contrast.
  • Place the face of the display screen at right angles to windows and light sources with your monitor arm. Position task lighting so the light does not reflect on the screen.
  • Clean the monitor frequently. A layer of dust can contribute to glare.
  • Use glare filters that attach directly to the surface of the monitor to reduce glare. Glare filters, when used, should not significantly decrease screen visibility.
  • Use barriers or light diffusers on fixtures to reduce glare from overhead lighting.
  • To limit reflection from walls and work surfaces around the screen, paint them with a medium colored, non-reflective paint. Arrange workstations and lighting to avoid reflected glare on the display screen or surrounding surfaces.
  • Tilt down the monitor slightly to prevent it from reflecting overhead light.

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Ergonomic Office Lighting Buying Guide

 


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