Objective and Subjective Assessments of Lighting in a Hospital Setting: Implications for Health, Safety and Performance

Abstract

A field study was conducted to evaluate the illumination levels, to examine the effect of lighting conditions (including lighting characteristics and disturbances) on employee satisfaction, job performance, safety and health, and to compare the employees' perception of lighting level with actual illuminance levels in a hospital setting using both questionnaire and physical illuminance measurements. The illumination levels varied across different locations within the hospital and were lower than standards for 52.2% of the workplaces surveyed. Most respondents indicated that at least one of the four lighting characteristics (i.e. light level, type of light sources, light colour and use of daylight) was inappropriate, and that at least one of the three lighting disturbances (i.e. flickering lights, glare and unwanted shadows) was a major disturbance to them. The employees' perceptions of illuminance generally reflected the actual illuminance levels. The more appropriate maintenance or installation of lighting fixtures was rated as the most appropriate for improving lighting. The findings suggest that environmental ergonomics should be given a more prominent role in hospital building and workplace design to support safer healthcare facilities (for staff and potentially for patients). PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Good lighting is essential to improve employee performance, health and safety. The findings suggest that quantitative physical measurements should be supplemented by qualitative subjective assessments to provide a more holistic approach where specific details about the lighting condition in each working environment are incorporated from the workers' perspective.