The use of good lighting may not often be seen as an important health and safety factor within all workplaces. However, bad lighting can cause several different health problems for employees.
Problems
When it comes to health issues, obvious problems like eyestrain, headaches and other migraine type symptoms can be a common cause of poor lighting within the workplace. As well as health problems which can occur from failure to provide this, it can also put the safety of employees at risk in general. If there is no proper lighting in a room, cupboard or workshop, then this can prevent employees from seeing potential hazards around them. Slips, trips and injuries from falling objects or walking in to things can easily occur if employees cannot properly see their surroundings. If someone can see a potential hazard, they are more likely to be able to prevent an accident from taking place.
The Law
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations state that every workplace ‘should have suitable and sufficient lighting.’ It is important to also remember that lighting that may be suitable for one workplace may not be for another; so it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure its suitability. Natural light should also be used, where possible, to provide extra lighting along with artificial light.
The legislation also states that ‘suitable and sufficient emergency lighting shall be provided in any room in circumstances in which persons at work are specially exposed to danger in the event of failure of artificial lighting.’ If, in the event of an emergency, or even a power cut, other suitable and sufficient lighting should be provided to employees. This is especially important in workplaces such as workshops where tools, machines and sharp objects may be lying around. This applies to all types of workplaces as other hazards may be present which could cause an accident to happen.
If you’ve had an accident in your workplace due to poor lighting then you could be entitled to make a claim. Whether it was a slip, a trip or you’ve been hit by a falling object due to inadequate lighting, give The Injury Lawyers a call today on 0800 634 75 75 for free, no obligation advice on claiming compensation for your accident.