What is OSHA?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a part of the United States Department of Labor, increasing safety and health for workers. OSHA has various standards in place for different industries, not just lighting, but also for medical and first aid, fall protection, fire protection, sanitation, and more.
Why Should I Comply With OSHA Lighting Standards?
Comply with OSHA standards to ensure a safe working environment. Standards are available for general workplace lighting, and then specific standards are available for agriculture, maritime, and construction settings. Certain workplaces aren’t regulated under OSHA standards, including but not limited to self-employed individuals, industries regulated by state or federal agencies, volunteers, and farms with only family members.
What Happens if I Don’t Follow the OSHA Lighting Requirements for My Business?
If your business doesn’t comply with the OSHA standards, you are at risk of facing financial penalties. Additionally, you’re risking your employees' safety by failing to properly illuminate all spaces where employees are present.
There are potential insurance consequences for not complying with OSHA standards. Companies found violating OSHA guidelines may experience increased insurance premiums due to the increased risk of damage and injury. Additionally, insurance companies may not renew policies with companies that receive multiple violations and continue to neglect guidelines.
How Do You Know if Your Current Light Levels Meet OSHA Requirements?
You can measure your lights' current illumination levels by using a light meter. Light meters detect the amount of foot-candles or lux hitting specific areas, allowing you to determine if various work areas meet the OSHA requirements, or if you need to go in and adjust.
What Are Foot Candles and Lux?
OSHA uses foot-candles and lux to determine the lighting requirements for workspaces.
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Foot-Candles: Lumens per square foot.
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Lux: Lumens per square meter.
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Lumens: Measurement of a light’s brightness; the greater the lumens, the more intense the light output.
Foot-candles and lux both measure the amount of light at a specific destination, whereas lumens measure the total light output from a source.
To calculate the relationship between foot-candles and lux, generally, 1 foot-candle is equivalent to 10.76 lux.
OSHA Lighting Requirements
General Industry Standards
For general workspace lighting, OSHA doesn’t provide exact recommendations for foot-candles, except when referring to construction areas, shipyard employers, or emergency exit lighting specifically. Instead, their regulations typically cover the placement and wiring of the lights.
The OSHA Standard 1910.303 requires sufficient lighting to be available in working areas with service equipment, panelboards, switchboards, and motor control centers indoors. Light outlets should be arranged so individuals changing lamps or making repairs aren’t at risk of injury because of live parts. Ensure control points aren’t in an area where people could be in contact with live or moving parts of equipment when powering lights on.
The OSHA Standard 1910.305 states that no fixtures, lamps, lampholders, receptacles, or rosettes should have any live parts exposed for employee contact. The only exception is rosettes and cleat-type lampholders and receptacles at least 2.44 m or 8 ft from the ground, which can have exposed terminals.
If you install light fixtures in a damp or wet environment, they must be built so that no water can enter or accumulate in lampholders, wireways, or other electrical parts.
Refer to the rest of 1910.303 and 1910.305 for other specific lighting and related requirements.
OSHA has a separate Computer Workstation section that provides tips on how to have sufficient illumination that won’t create glare on computer screens and lead to headaches or eye strain. OSHA recommends that lights be installed parallel to your line of sight. For reading and writing tasks, you should implement diffusers and task lighting to have adequate illumination while reducing brightness on screens.
OSHA recommends that offices with CRT displays and for paper tasks should have 20-50 foot-candles. Those using LCD monitors should use up to 73 foot-candles.
Agriculture
OSHA does have specific workplace standards regarding agricultural operations; however, none pertaining to lighting regulations. For more information on the importance of OSHA regulating agriculture and the related standards, read here.
Construction
The OSHA Standards related to construction are listed in OSHA 1926.56. The D-3 Table lays out the required foot-candles depending on the specific area or operation, including:
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General Construction Areas, Excavation and Waste Areas, Field Maintenance Areas, Active Storage Areas, Access Ways, Concrete Placement, Loading Platforms, and Refueling: 3 Foot-Candles
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General Construction Area Lighting: 5 Foot-Candles
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Warehouse, Corridors, Hallways, and Exitways Indoors: 5 Foot-Candles
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Tunnels, Shafts, and General Underground Work Areas: 5 Foot-Candles
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Note: A minimum of 10 Foot-Candles is required at the tunnel and shaft heading for drilling, mucking, and scaling. Cap lights approved by the Bureau of Mines are acceptable for tunnel heading.
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General Construction Plant and Shops (batch plants, carpenter shops, screening plants, mess halls, mechanical and electrical equipment rooms): 10 Foot-Candles
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First Aid Stations, Offices, and Infirmaries: 30 Foot-Candles
Shipyard Employment
OSHA Standard 1915.82 requires all work areas and walkways to be sufficiently illuminated when employees are present. The minimum foot-candle requirements are listed below:
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General Areas of Vessels and Vessel Sections, Including Stairs, Accessways, Exits, Walkways, and Gangways: 3 Foot-Candles
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General Landside Areas Including Walkways, Exits, Stairs, and Corridors: 5 Foot-Candles
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Any Assigned Work Area on the Vessel or Vessel Section: 5 Foot-Candles
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Landslide Shafts, Tunnels, Pumping Stations, Underground Work Areas, and Vaults: 5 Foot-Candles
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Landslide Work Areas Including Carpenter Shops, Electrical Equipment Rooms, Tool Rooms, Lofts, Warehouses, Machine Shops, and Outdoor Work Areas: 10 Foot-Candles
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Showers, Sewered Toilets, Changing Rooms, and Eating, Drinking, and Break Rooms: 30 Foot-Candles
What Does OSHA Say About Emergency Lighting and Exit Routes?
OSHA requires in Statute 1910.37(b) that all exit routes are properly illuminated, so employees can safely and fully see throughout the exit route. It also requires that exit signs be illuminated with at least 5 Foot-Candles or 54 Lux and have a distinct color.
Signs with lighting built in or electroluminescent signs with a minimum luminance surface value of .06 foot-lamberts (0.21 cd/m2) or greater are also acceptable. A foot-lambert is equivalent to 3.426 candela per square meter; Candela is the brightness of a light source in a specific direction.
The rest of the OSHA lighting regulations pertaining to emergency and exit routes can be found in OSHA 1910 Subpart E Exit Routes and Emergency Planning.
Product Callout
We have a wide selection of commercial and industrial lights available to help ensure you have adequate lighting for your workspace. Additionally, we have LED exit signs and emergency lights to increase safety and visibility in emergency situations.
