Importance of lighting in work spaces

Insufficient lighting will definitely affect employees’ morale, psychology, behaviour and lastly, job performance.

Office lighting and employee productivity

The one factor that most employers tend to overlook is ‘Appropriate Lighting’. The most common complaints that employees raised; are lights that are too dim or lights that are too harsh.

It’s a common knowledge that reading or working in a dimly lit area will cause you to squint your eyes while reading or accomplishing a task. In this process, it causes eye strain and headache, as our eyes are forced to focus even harder in order to see. Insufficient lighting will also cause drowsiness and lack of focus, as such it lowers employees’ productivity.

Harsh lighting is also another factor that is equally detrimental to employees’ well-being. Lights that are too harsh makes it difficult for the eyes to focus properly too. There are reports on employees’ suffering from migraine in serious cases.

In addition, proper lighting in an office space enhances the space, and creates a comfortable environment everyone to work in. Employees will feel pleasant when they step into the office.

Apart from proper lighting principles in a work space, employers must also take note of the other areas in an office. Eg. Conference rooms, common walkway, pantry, graphic production rooms and etc.

Lights in the office should be integrated and balance, therefore there wouldn’t be a stark contrast when working or travelling to different area in an office.

Design requirements

Lighting requirements for an office can be extremely diverse, as different areas will have different needs. Some design considerations to take note for office lighting are, quality, flexibility and efficiency.

Requirements on colour temperature

CCT – Correlated colour temperature & CRI – Colour rendering index, are two important factors to take note when selecting the appropriate light.

Both CCT and CRI affects the appearance of objects, therefore selecting appropriate CCT and CRI is important.

The appropriate CCT is important for employees to focus at work, as a warm white CCT will induce a state of drowsiness, whereas a cool white will be more suitable to allow employees to concentrate at work.

For general office lighting, the recommended minimum CRI is 80. In the event, where colour discrimination is important, a recommended minimum CRI of 90 or more should be installed.

Type of LEDs that are deployed in office.

1) Recessed Ceiling Light

This is the most common type of lighting that are installed in an office space and commercial buildings. It’s a rectangular fixture that is normally fitted on recessed ceiling. The tubes mounted in it comes in 2 sizes, namely, T8 (1-inch diameter) & T5 (0.625-inch diameter), and it range from 1 to 4 led tubes in a fixture and arranged in a parallel format. This fixture provides high light output and improved visualisation.

2) LED Panel

LED panel is slowly becoming one of the most popular light fixtures to be fixed on recessed ceilings. It is favoured for its slim design and wide beam angle, creating a unique and ideal lighting solution for offices where lights are installed on plaster ceiling.

3) Trunking LED System

LED system that uses specialised rails to integrate all components together. This is the perfect alternative to traditional fluorescent tubes in the market. Aesthetically pleasing LED lights and integrated control functions are effective solutions to office lighting.

4) Low Bay Light

Low bay lights are generally fitted on ceilings with a height of between 4m – 6m. It’s fitted with a large lamp cover in the shape of a cone, to direct light to the surface.

Make the switch over to LED lights today for a and-new working experience.

For more information on Paragon’s product, do click on www.paragon.com.vn (Website) or www.paragon-led.com (Online shop).