Keeping it Local
03-09-2009
There�s some interesting reading in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) � and that�s something that you didn�t expect to read when you woke up this morning. I�ve reached that age where I get grumpy about too-small text that gets written across some vibrant bit of artwork � like some of my recent CD purchases. Surely, there�s a law against this sort of thing!
Well, yes there is � hence the ferreting around in the DDA. Every employer needs to be aware of the visual needs of their staff, but every individual is different, so how to go about it? It�s not practical to re-light the whole building - and most problems are task-related, like my little CD problem. No, the way to sort this out is to make sure that everyone has the localised lighting that they need. It�s called task lighting, and can usually be sorted by using an appropriate desk lamp.
And there�s another benefit to this approach that goes much further than considerations of an individual�s dwindling eyesight. What�s the point of lighting an entire building as though you�re doing micro-engineering in the corridors, when those levels of illumination can be focussed at the point of need.
How much energy / money can we save by reducing the lighting throughout a building? Here�s a thought for you; if your general office lighting levels are around 500 Lux (a typical specification requirement) but circulation space only needs 200 Lux, there�s quite a potential there for savings in those ordinary wandering-about areas.
