Glare at Outdoor Workplaces—An Underestimated Factor of Occupational Risk

Dariusz Sawicki,Agnieszka Wolska

doi:10.3390/en15020472

Dariusz Sawicki, Agnieszka Wolska

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en15020472

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Abstract

Lighting is an integral aspect of electrical engineering and public safety, as buildings, public areas—both indoors and outdoors—or any type of workplace must be illuminated in a way to prevent accidents. The sensation of glare, in particular, plays an important role in visual comfort and consequently influences occupational risk. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the problem of glare at outdoor workplaces. We have carried out an assessment of glare at outdoor workplaces in 19 different industrial plants. At 20 task areas (21.5% of the 93 examined) the determined degree of glare exceeded the limits specified in the standard. In eight categories of industrial plants (66.7% of 12 examined) defined in the standard, there was at least one task area where the requirements of the standard in terms of glare limitation were not met. The presented analysis leaves no doubt about drawing the conclusion that glare at outdoor workplaces is mostly underestimated or simply neglected, although it could cause high risk in workplaces.

Highlights

At 20 task areas the determined degree of glare exceeded the limits specified in the standard—i.e., the requirements of the standard in terms of glare limitation were not met
This assessment showed that in most industrial plants there are many workplaces where glare is too high. This is demonstrated both by the subjective glare perception of the employees analyzed on the basis of interviews as well as objective measurements of the Glare rating (GR) value
At 21.5% of examined task areas, the determined degree of glare exceeded the limits specified in the standard [5]; at 11.8% of task areas we found a high degree of risk

Summary

Introduction

Lighting is one of the most important physical factors of the living and working environment, as it has a significant impact on human safety [1]. Besides providing safety, lighting is closely linked to visual performance and health. It is not enough to provide a sufficiently illuminated workplace—lighting must be energy-efficient and of low cost [2]. These factors determine the choice of light sources and luminaire levels, their effect on visual comfort, especially on the sensation of glare [3]. The lighting design is a multi-criteria issue, including technical as well as psychological aspects

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