22
Jan

Increase employee productivity with ergonomic lighting

In recent years, an ergonomic workplace has become a trendy term. Lighting can also be included in this category. After all, not only a comfortable chair and a matching desk affect the employee’s comfort. Our main working tool is eyesight, and fatigue caused by inadequate lighting is a distraction and reduces productivity. Check how to plan ergonomic lighting for the desk and the entire office space to provide your employees with the best working conditions.

Ergonomic lighting, which is what?

Office lighting can be neither too dark nor too bright. Too moody light makes you sleepy, while too cold light can quickly tire your eyes and make it difficult to see images on your computer. Inadequate lighting for the office causes irritation and problems with concentration and increases the possibility of making mistakes.
Ergonomic lighting affects the mood and the right atmosphere in the workplace, and at the same time, improves the cognitive functions of the body, facilitating concentration and reducing fatigue.
Take care of a double light source by opting for main and directional lighting. When working at a computer, office ceiling lighting is usually sufficient, while desk lighting is also necessary when filling out documents.
The desk lamp needs to be adjustable, preferably on a long and flexible arm. On the right-handed people’s desks, the directional lamp is placed on the left and left-handed employees’ right side. The optimal solution is a 60W desk lamp with an intensity of 500 lux. It is worth choosing a more economical and energy-saving option, i.e., LED lighting with a brightness of approx. 400 lumens. The light color should be neutral in the range of 3400-5300K.

Biologically active lighting – what is it?

An interesting solution in ergonomic lighting is LED systems that allow you to control light and adjust its color to current needs, e.g., time of day or season. The so-called biologically active lighting focuses on a person’s individual needs and supports natural circadian rhythm, stopping or starting melatonin release. Such lighting can add energy to the employee, help to relax, and minimize the harmful effects of working with artificial lighting. This solution is fully automated, which allows you to reduce electricity consumption by up to 60%. The biologically active LED lighting system provides a broad spectrum of natural sunlight colors (2700-6500 K), which significantly affects the stabilization of the biological rhythm of employees both in the office and after working hours.

What more can be done to take care of employees’ eyesight?

Working in an office is inseparably connected with staring at a computer screen for a long time. This can lead to the so-called computer vision syndrome (CVS), which presents with dryness, pain or redness in the eyes, pain in the head, neck, back, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light. There can be many reasons for CVS, but the most common is bad posture when working at the computer, too close proximity to the screen, and the wrong type and intensity of light in the room. To avoid CVS symptoms, you should:

  • set the monitor at a distance of 40-75 cm from the eyes, in front of the user, at an angle of 15-20° below the horizontal eye level,
  • provide employees with regular breaks, take care of ergonomic,
  • adjustable chairs and desks,
  • take care of regular eye tests of employees,
  • offer co-financing of glasses with anti-reflective coating or a blue light filter,
  • turn on blue light filters on all company monitors,
  • replace the monitors with a matte or equip them with special matte films that eliminate the problem of light reflection in monitors with a glossy matrix,
  • install window blinds that will solve the problem of sharp sunlight falling into the office.

Would you like to invest in ergonomic office lighting? Contact us – we will analyze the needs of your employees together and plan the best solutions!