The conference rooms and a few other areas in South African offices may be way too dimly light, new draft government rules on workplaces suggest.
, which will classify light among other"physical agents" that can do harm in the workplace, such as sound and heat, rather than just considering it alongside environmental factors such as ventilation.
The result will be a couple of new rules: windows and"other sources of natural light" will have to be kept clean, and flickering light – of the kind so common with failing fluorescent tubes – must be eliminated.For offices, areas used for"computer and business machine operation" will still be required to be at a minimum average illumination of 500 lux, as is currently the case. But for conference rooms, the minimum will jump from 300 lux to the same 500 lux.
Corridors will have a 200 lux minimum, and reception desks a 300 lux minimum, while stairs can drop as low as 150 lux. A level of 500 lux is widely considered decent for office work that involves a lot of reading, from either paper or screens, but, in order to save energy. The draft physical agent regulations for occupational health and safety are open for comment for the next three months.