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Posted By Penfold
Please help.
I recently visited one of our offices and was challenged about the strip lighting. The staffs are complaining of headaches even when they change desks. When staff move to other branches the headaches go. When they come back, the headaches return. One girl who is permanently based in this office is going nuts.
I looked for the most obvious (chairs, seating position, screens, contrast etc) and found very little wrong. Someone has suggested to them that the strip lighting is "illegal" which prompted them to call me. The lights look like standard Flo-tubes inside diffusers.
Does anyone know of any requirements of strip lighting for DSE such as minimum lux levels or certain types of tubes that shouldn't be used?
Thanks if you can help
Pen
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Posted By Paul Leadbetter
There are recommended levels of lighting for all sorts of work; HSG 38 gives some basic details.
Some people are sensitive (photo-epilepsy)to the mains flicker from fluorescent tubes but it is pretty rare and a whole officeful seems unlikely.
Paul
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Posted By Bob Youel
there are all kinds of light types so change some tubes for natural light types - its worked in places that I know of
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Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Pen
CIBSE can provide you with details of host of options for controlling lighting levels.
However, headaches and whatever you mean by 'going nuts' suggest that anxiety and other psychological conditions have become part of the problem.
A stable solution apparently calls for identifying and controlling sources of stress, in compliance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regs. 1999.
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Posted By Kieran J Duignan
... I should have added the DSE Regs to my posting as they explictly refer to stress hazards too.
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Posted By Ron Hunter
Heat, humidity and fresh air quality are also contributory factors. Beware of too narrow a focus to your investigation.
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Posted By Peter Taylor14
google cat 3 lighting
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Posted By Chris L
My wife had similar issues with a department at a college where she used to work. She got them to change their PC monitor refresh rates from 60Hz to 75 and the problem went away.
As mentioned above, there may be more than one cause.....
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Posted By Faye
I had a similar problem in a large office with an annex. Staff were complaining of headaches and eye strain but only in the annex.
The lux ratings were ok, computer setting were checked etc but when i carried out a closer inspection, the flourescent tubes were the old 'yellow' ones and not the new bright light ones. In the confined, coupled with a building close to the outside window it was a stark contrast to the main office which was much better with the white tubes.
Changed the bulbs and the problem was solved!
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Posted By Penfold
Thanks all for the response. It's given me a lot to think about. Faye, I think your suggestion may be the soultion and will suggest to change the bulbs. If it fails, I'll consider the other suggestions.
Thanks again
Pen
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Posted By Garry Homer
Other solutions are to change the light fittings to the new 'high frequency' type. These are operating around 125kHz and therefore have no disernable flicker. Hospitals use them on baby wards to avoid stimulating any epyleptic condition.
Alternatively, the existing units could be connected on different 'phases' so all the lights do not go out together 100 times every second. The necessary wiring might be more costly than changing the fittings mentioned above. It just depends upon how the existing office is wired.
Garry
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Posted By ian chapman
We installed CAT 2 lighting via registered electrical company
Quick starters were fitted to cut out flikering
We also tested various light lux and hue
Went for natural daylight in the end , cuts out the SAD factor to a degree in winter time
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