Lux level Standards in Industry
Lux level Standards in Industry are recommendations from IS for sufficient light at workplace to maintain wellbeing, safety of workers and productive work environment.
Considering increasing industrial activities in India, where many people have to work with attention to details throughout day and night. With all different visual task’s conditions, lighting should be suitable for adequate visibility in any industrial processes.
Physical hazards can be prevented if sufficient lighting is available in workplace area. Lighting condition not only contributes to the safety but also make workplace more comforting and productive.
Unit of illumination
The standard unit to measure the intensity level of light is known as LUX. It is also called as Illuminance or illumination.
Quantity of Illumination in industry
Ideally a lighting system should be designed in such way that it provides uniform distribution of light over entire workplace.
And adequacy of lighting is necessary to avoid occupational eye-strain and accidents due to poor lighting. Adequate lighting also creates aggregable illuminous work environment.
Read more about Effect of Poor lighting at workplace
Depending on the type of activity demand of degree of illumination differs. For e.g.
- If you are reading, drawing then it is better to maintain LUX levels around 200
- To maintain standard LUX level for office, where people work on computers, laptops it is better to increase illumination to 400-500 LUX
- In Shops, showrooms lex levels should be maintained at 500 LUX
- At Workshops lux level should be maintained at 600-700 LUX
- And for critical works like operation theatre in hospitals it is required to maintain LUX levels at 1000
Quality of Illumination in industry
Here Quality of illumination industry is referring to distribution of brightness in workplace area. It expects uniform brightness throughout the industrial area. Reduction in glares play major role in maintaining quality of illumination. Reflected glares can be minimized of eliminated using light source of low luminance or increasing the angle from line of vision. There should not be any harsh shadows in industry.
Illumination Standards as per Factory Act, 1948 (Section 17 – Lighting)
As per factory act, 1948 section 17 there are few rules and regulations to be followed by all industries in India. Few important points from factory act for lighting are mentioned below:
- All part of the factory where employees are working or passing should have sufficient lighting either by natural or artificial source
- In every factory all glazed windows and skylights used for the lighting of the workroom shall be kept clean on both the sides and so far as agreement with the requirements of any rules made under sub-section (3) of section 13 will allow, free from obstruction.
- In all factories, there should not be any glares from directly any light source or indirectly polished surface
- In all factories, there should not be any shadows which limits the visibility of the employees which can cause accidents or eye strain
- The State Government may prescribe standards of adequate and appropriate illumination for factories or for any class or account of workshops or for any industrial process.
LUX Level in Industry as per Indian Standard (IS 6665)
Keeping this in mind Indian Burau of Indian Standards had come up with standards to be followed for Industrial lighting in IS:3646 (I – 1966), IS:3646 (II – 1966), IS:3646 (III – 1968).
They have updated those Illumination lux level standards for different industries in 1972 as IS:6665. Please find below recommended Illumination lux level standards for industrial buildings and processes.
Workplace LUX Level Standards in Industry
Read more about Illumination Survey or Lighting assessment
Lux Level standards for General factory areas:
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Canteens | 150 | – |
| Cloakrooms | 100 | – |
| Entrances, corridors, stairs | 100 | – |
Lux Level standards for Factory outdoor Areas
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Stockyards, main entrances, exit roads, car parking, internal factory roads | 20 | – |
Aircraft factory
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Stock parts production | 450 | 25 |
| Drilling, riveting, screw fastening, wing sections, welding, assembly, sub-assembly, inspection area | 300 | 25 |
| Maintenance and repair (hangers) | 300 | 25 |
Illumination levels at Assembly shops
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Rough work like frame assembly. | 150 | 28 |
| Medium work like machine parts, engine assembly, vehicle body assembly. | 300 | 25 |
| Fine work like radio and telephone assembly. | 700 | 22 |
| Very fine work like assembly of very small instruments | 1500* | 19 |
Boiler houses
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Coal and Ash handling | 100 | – |
| Boiler front and operating areas | 100 | – |
| Others area | 20 to 25 | – |
| Catwalks | 20 | – |
| Platforms | 50 | – |
Boot and Shoes Manufacturing factories
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Sorting and grading | 1000* | 19 |
| Clicking and closing, preparatory operations | 700 | 22 |
| Bottom stock preparation, lasting and bottoming | 700 | 22 |
| Cutting table and presses, stitching | 1000 | 22 |
| Shoe rooms | 700 | 22 |
Brewers and Distillers
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| General working areas | 150 | 25 |
| Brewhouse, bottling and canning plants | 200 | 25 |
| Bottle inspection | Special lighting | – |
Canning and preserving Factories
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Inspection of beans, rice, barley, etc | 450 | 22 |
| Preparation: Kettle areas, mechanical cleaning, dicing, trimming | 300 | 25 |
| Canned and bottled goods: Retorts | 200 | 25 |
| High speed labelling lines | 300 | 25 |
| Can inspection | 450 | – |
Lux Level standards for Carpet Factory
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Winding, beaming | 200 | 25 |
| Designing, jacquard card cutting, setting pattern, tufting, topping, cutting, hemming, fringing | 450 | 22 |
| Weaving, mending, inspection | 450 | 22 |
Lux Level standards for Chemical manufacturing Factories:
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Hand furnaces, boiling tanks, stationery driers, stationery or gravity crystallizers, mechanical driers, evaporators, filtration plants, mechanical crystallizing bleaching, extractors, percolators, nitrators, electrolytic cells | 150 | 28 |
| Controls, gauged, values; etc | 100 | – |
Lux level Standards in Industry : Clothing Manufacturing Factories
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Cutting, sewing | 300-700 | 22-20 |
| Inspection | 450-100 | 19 |
| Hand Tailoring | 450-1500 | 19 |
Lux Level standards for Electricity Generating Station
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Turbine halls | 200 | 25 |
| Auxiliary equipment; battery rooms, blowers, auxiliary generators, switchgear and transformer chambers | 100 | – |
| Boiler houses (including operating floors) platforms, coal conveyors, pulverisers, feeders, precipitators, soot and slag blowers | 70-100 | – |
| Boiler house and turbine house | 100 | – |
| Basements | 70 | – |
| Conveyor houses, conveyor genets, junction towers | 70-100 | – |
| Control rooms | 200-300 | 19 |
| Nuclear reactors and steam raising plants | 150-200 | 25 |
Electricity Generating Stations: Outdoor Locations
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Coal unloading areas | 20 | – |
| Coal storage areas | 20 | – |
| Conveyors | 50 | – |
| Fuel oil delivery headers | 50 | – |
| Oil storage tanks | 50 | – |
| Catwalks | 50 | – |
| Platforms, boiler and turbine decks | 50 | – |
| Transformers and outdoor switchgear | 100 | – |
Lux level Standards in Industry: Engineering
| Average LUX Level | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Hand | 1000 | 19 |
| Machine | – | – |
Foam Building
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Boiler houses | 50 | – |
| Milk room | 150 | 25 |
| Washing and sterilizing rooms | 150 | 25 |
| Stables | 50 | – |
| Milking parlours | 150 | 25 |
Flour Mills
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Roller, purifier, silks and packing floors | 150 | 25 |
| Wetting tables | 300 | 25 |
Lux Level standards for Foundries
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Charging floors; tumbling cleaning, pouring, shaking out, rough molding and rough core making | 150 | 28 |
| Fine moulding and core making, inspection | 300 | 25 |
Lux Level standards for Garages
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Parking areas (interior) | 70 | 28 |
| Washing and polishing, greasing, general servicing, pits | 150 | 28 |
| Repairs | 300 | 25 |
Gas Work
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Retort houses, oil gas plants, Water gas plants, coke handling plant | 30 to 50 | 28 |
| Governor, meter, booster | 100 | 25 |
Open type plants
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Catwalks | 20 | – |
| Platforms | 50 | – |
| Gauge and Tool Rooms | 700 | 19 |
Glass Works and Processes
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Furnace rooms, bending, annealing | 100 | 28 |
| Mixing rooms, forming (blowing, drawing, pressing, rolling) | 150 | 28 |
| Cutting to size, grinding, polishing, toughening | 200 | 25 |
| Finishing (bevelling, decorating, etching, silvering) | 300 | 22 |
| Brilliant cutting | 700 | 19 |
| Inspection (General and fine) | 200 and 700 | 19 |
Inspection shops (Engineering)
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Rough work, for example, counting, rough | 150 | 28 |
| Medium work, for example, ‘Go’ and ‘No-go’ gauges, sub-assemble | 300 | 25 |
| Fine work, for example, radio and telecommunication equipment, calibrated scales, precision mechanisms, instruments | 700 | 22 |
| Very fine work, for example, gauging and inspection- of small intricate parts | 1500 | 19 |
| Minute work, for example, very small instruments | 3000 | 10 |
Lux Level standards for Iron and steelworks
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Mars-balling and outdoor stockyards | 10-20 | – |
| Stain, gangways, basements, quarries, loading docks | 100 | – |
| Slab yards, melting shops! ingot stripping soaking pits, blast furnace working areas, picking and cleaning lines, mechanical plants, pump houses | 100 | 28 |
| Mould preparation; rolling and wire mills, mill motor rooms, power and blower houses | 150 | 28 |
| Slab inspection and conditioning, cold strip mills, sheet and plate finishing, tinning, galvanizing, machine and roll shops | 200 | 28 |
| Plate inspection | 300 | – |
| Tinplate inspection | Special lighting |
Motor Vehicle Plants
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| General sub-assemblies, chassis assembly, car assembly | 300 | 25 |
| Final inspection | 450 | 25 |
| Trim shops, body sub-assembly, body assembly | 300 | 25 |
| Spray booths | 450 | – |
Rubber Processing
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Fabric preparation creels | 200 | 25 |
| Dipping, moulding, compounding calendars | 150 | 25 |
| Tyre and tube making | 200 | 25 |
Sheet Metal Works
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Benchwork, scribing, pressing, punching, shearing, stamping, spinning, folding | 200 | 25 |
| Sheet inspection | Special lighting | – |
Warehouses and Bulk Stores
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Large material, loading bays | 100 | 28 |
| Small material, racks | 150 | 25 |
| Packing and dispatch | 150 | 25 |
Lux Level standards for Welding and Soldering
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Gas and arc welding, rough spot welding | 150 | 28 |
| Medium soldering, brazing, and spot welding, for example, domestic hardware | 300 | 25 |
| Fine soldering and spot welding, for example, instruments, radio set assembly | 700 | 22 |
| Very fine soldering and spot welding, for example, radio valves | 150 | 19 |
Woodworking Shops
| Average Illumination LUX Level Standards | Limiting Glare Index | |
| Rough sawing, and bench work | 150 | 22 |
| Sizing, planning, rough sanding, medium machine and bench work, gluing, veneering, cooperage | 200 | 22 |
| Fine bench and machine work, fine sanding and finishing | 300 | 22 |
Perfect Pollucon Services offers Illumination Survey or LUX Level monitoring / testing and provide LUX Monitoring report for our clients. Feel free to contact our Environmental executive for more information.
In general, Offices are required to have LUX level at 500. In case of screen based devices such as Computers / laptops LUX levels can vary from 300-500.
The minimum level of illumination recommended for work in general offices is 200 lux. it is assumed that tasks like reading in general offices. in case of any detailed work is done then minimum illumination level needs to be around 500 LUX.
At homes recommended illumination levels is often 150 lux. The living and dining rooms may work pretty well with about 25 to 50 lux. If you are doing tasks like reading then Lux level needs to be around 200.
For warehouses, it is recommended to have LUX level around 150 at floor level and 200 LUX at rack level.
For normal activities in any office should be 200 Lux, but for the work which requires scrutiny and detailing i.e. visual inspection lux level should be at least 500. Along with Lux level periodic rest is also required to the person who is performing inspection to avoid fatigue.
At construction site where only movement of people, machinery and raw materials are involved then lux level 50 is more than sufficient. In case of any detailed work is being done then it is recommended to maintain lux levels minimum at 200 Lux at construction site at all the time.
The LUX level in a room is calculated from the following formula
E(LUX) = F(lm) x UF x MF / A
Where
lm is required lumens
E is the the LUX level achieved
UF is utilization factor
MF Maintenance factor
F is the average lumens value form the light source
Activities which involve detailed work, demand the highest level of illumination. Those activities can be operation theatre in hospitals, color inspection on paper or fabric, Autopsy table and dissecting table, etc.
It is recommended that generally bedroom needs to have lux levels between 100 to 300 Lux. Incase of any activities like reading or painting LUX level should be more than 500 Lux.