Industrial Lighting

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IN his lecture at the British Scientific Products Exhibition on July 28, Mr. L. Gaster traced the growth of interest in industrial lighting, which had now come to be regarded as essential to the health of the workers, to the avoidance of accidents, and to efficient work. The extension of night-work during the war and the great demands made on British factories had rendered good artificial lighting specially important; and various factors likely to operate in the future, such as the fuller use of the “three-shift” system and the development of the manufacture of accurately made standardised and interchangeable parts, also tended in: the same direction. Another important consideration at present was the saving in fuel that might be brought about by the general use of more scientific and efficient methods of lighting, whereby the consumption of gas or electricity necessary to produce a given illumination on the work could be reduced. The case for adequate industrial lighting, both from the economic and humanitarian points of view, was very strong. There was no doubt that both the output and the quality of work suffered if the illumination was defective. Cases were on record in which the output had increased by 8-27 per'cent., and even more, when the illumination was improved. In general, the cost of lighting formed' only a small proportion (often less than i per cent.) of the wages bill, so that even a small gain in output more than compensated for the expenditure on good lighting.