ILLUMINATION & COLOUR

ILLUMINATION AND COLOUR

Purpose and Benefits of good lighting
• Illumination at the work place depends on following
1. Physical conditions
2. Related to time; Hours of work
3. Relating to social situation were person works
• The purpose of light is most important, because without light the things
have no appearance, no colour, no shape. Good lighting affects our sight
as well as the object to be seen
• Illumination at the work place has physiological effect on human being
and some of the effects are
• Human efficiency
• Chances of accidents
• Fatigue
Light has Physiological effects and it has positive as well as adverse effects on health
 Illumination

Increase of Safety and Productivity due to Good Lighting

• Good lighting includes both, day lighting and artificial lighting.

• Good light decreases accident and increases work quality and quantity,
productivity.

• Better seeing for work performance & environment

• Better discrimination, concentration, alertness & reduced fatigue.

 PRINCIPLES OF ILLUMINATION

• Light is the electromagnetic visible radiation (waves) Within the range

of 380 to 760 nanometres

• Wave length varies from 10 nm to 340000nm.

• Three parts as per the wave length :

– Ultra violet rays : 10 to 380 nm
– Visible light : 380 to 760 nm
– Infrared region : 760 to 340000 nm
 Basics of Illumination
• Luminaire: is a complete lighting unit including the lamp, globe, refractor, housing and
support that is integral with the housing.
• Luminous (or light) flux is the quantity of light emitted per second by a light source. It is
the radiant power or luminous flux. Its unit is lumen and the symbol F.
• Luminous Intensity is the luminous flux emitted per unit of solid angle (the measure of
spatial density of the light flux) in a given direction or the density of light falling on to a
surface. Its unit is “candela” (cd)
• Illumination is the luminous flux that strikes a unit area.(the density of light falling on to
a surface. ) it is the surface (E) density of the light flux distributed uniformly over the
surface. Its unit is lux.
• Old unit of Illumination was foot-candle which is the number of lumens/ft2
 Basics of Illumination
• Luminous flux : The flux falling on a surface of one square foot in area, every part
of which is one foot from a point source having a luminous intensity of one candela
(candlepower) in all directions.
• Digital light meter (photocell device) is available to measure light directly in lux.

• Old unit of Illuminance was Foot candle,

One foot candle = Lumens / ft2
• New unit is Lux = Lumens / m2 or meter candle
• 1 foot candle = 1 lm/ ft2 = 10.76 lux
• Properly control illumination is depends on
– Type of light source.
– Intensity of the light source.
– Distance from the light source.
– Surface on which the lights fall.
– Diffuseness (faintness).
– The amount of glare.
– Environmental changes must all be considered.
 General Principles of Good lighting

1. Adequate illumination.

2. Avoidance of glare.

3. Avoidance of shadow.

4. Uniform lighting.

5. Appropriate contrast.

6. Appropriate colour contrast.

7. Colour effect and

8. Avoidance of flicker and stroboscopic effect.

 General Principles of Good lighting

1. Adequate Illumination
• Adequate or good illumination needs sufficient quantity of
illumination necessary for avoiding discomfort to the worker and
undue strain on eyes-
• Its requirement varies from place to place, person to person and
with the age of person also.
• Visual sharpness increase with the increase in intensity and at
about 1000 lux is equal to day light intensity.
• the desired amount of lighting will vary with the amount of detail
required in the work.
• Although individuals differ in amount of light they find most
desirable intensity between 10 to 30 foot-candles or 100 to 300
lux is the most comfortable for reading.
 General Principles of Good lighting

2. Glare

Glare is the condition in which brightness or the contrast of brightness

interferes with vision.
• Glare is produced by excessive light stimuli i.e. excessive
luminance in the field of vision which disturbs the adaptation
process of retina.
• Glare can be considered at three levels.(types)-
1. Direct or disability glare.
2. Discomfort glare.
3. Indirect or reflected glare.
 General Principles of Good lighting
1. Direct or disability glare
• It comes directly from the light source to the eye and impairs
the ability to see clearly
• This is due to excessive light focused on the eye
• It depends for its effects upon the position of the light
source in the field of view and on the contrast in
brightness between the light source and its background.
• It can be avoided by:
o Provide reflector (screen) with minimum reflecting
angle 20° below the horizontal,
o Reducing the brightness of the light source
o Reducing the area of high brightness
o Increasing the angle between the' source of glare and
the line of vision
 General Principles of Good lighting
Rule 32 of the Gujarat Factories Rules prescribes, for the purpose of
prevention of glare. It is also suggested that local light (lamp on the
job) shall be provided with opaque shade or effective screen to prevent
glare in the eyes of workers working nearby.
 General Principles of Good lighting
2. Discomfort Glare
• It is due to liberal (less) or bright (more) light

3. Reflected Glare
• It is glare that comes to the eyes as glint (flash) or reflection of the
light source from some polished or shining surface.
• It can be avoided by:
1. Changing the shining finish by matt finish.
2. Changing the task position or its surrounding.
3. Using light source of low brightness or providing lamp
shade.
 General Principles of Good lighting

3. Shadow

• Shadow is caused not by poor lighting but - by fixing light sources

too wide apart or in wrong positions so that light is obstructed by
some object
• Light (faint) shadow may be allowed but dark (dense) shadow that
conceals hazard
• Shadow on staircase, near door for entry or exit, near tool rack or on
the work (job) table is not at all desirable
• shadows should be avoided, but some shadow effect may be
desirable from the general lighting system to make more noticeable
the depth
 General Principles of Good lighting

4. Uniform Lighting

• The human eye can clearly perceive differences in luminance of over

50%.
• It takes time to adopt sudden variation in the intensity of lighting,
particularly from higher to lower intensity.
• Uniform distribution of lighting is desirable. Distribution of light
requires two problems to solve
1. Uniformity of illumination
2. Elimination of shadows
• In uniform lighting, the distribution of light with a maximum and
minimum illumination at any point should not be more than one-
sixth
• Indirect lighting is the best method for producing uniform
illummation.
 General Principles of Good lighting

5. Contrast

• It is the difference in luminance, between the detail and its

background
• The greater the difference or the contrast better will be seeing task.
• IS:3646 (Part I & II) provide details for this.
• Reflectance should be maintained as near as practical to
recommended values i.e. For ceiling 80 to 90%, for walls 40 to 60%,
for desks and bench tops, machine and equipment 25 to 45% and
for floors not less than 20%
• The contrast recognizes the object easily and increases visual
performance. If the difference between the object and its
background is not noticeable, it is difficult to work.
 General Principles of Good lighting

6. Flicker and Stroboscopic Effect

• All lamps working on alternating current give light which pulsates

at twice the supply frequency
• This type of discontinuous light of almost all frequencies can
produce in which a rotating or reciprocating object can appear to
be stationary , or moving slowly, or even appear to be rotating in
the opposite direction etc.
• This false belief can cause accidents in the industrial situation.
• The steps to diminish the stroboscopic effect are:-
1. Light the moving object with lamps fed from two different
out of phase a.c. supplies
2. Select a lamp with a low flicker characteristic
 RECOMMENDED STANDARDS OF ILLUMINATION

Statutory Provisions
• Section-17 of the Factories Act requires sufficient and
suitable lighting, natural, artificial or both and prevention
of direct or reflected glare and shadows causing eye
strain or risk of accident
• Rules 30 to 34 of the Gujarat Factories Rules prescribe
further details
• Rule 31 : Minimum illumination shall not be less than 30
lux at horizontal place at level of 91.4 (3 feets )
• Rule 32 describes details to prevent glare,
• IS 6665 and National Electric code Part 4, Appendix- 4
gives value of illumination and glare index
 RECOMMENDED STANDARDS OF ILLUMINATION

Indian Standards on Lighting

S. No. Area / Workroom Minimum Intensity of
Illumination in Lux

1 Industrial lighting 6665

2 Day lighting of factory buildings 6060

3 Day lighting of buildings 2440

4 Principles of good lighting and aspects of design (Part I) 3646

5 Schedule for values of illumination and glare index (Part II) 3646

6 Calculation of coefficient of utilization by the BZ method (Part III) 3646

7 Eletro technical vocabulary Part 16 1885

8 Flameproof electric lighting fittings 2206

9 Dust – proof electric lighting fittings 4012

10 Dust-tight electric lighting fittings 4013

11 Miners’ Cap-lamps 2596

 RECOMMENDED STANDARDS OF ILLUMINATION

ILO Recommendation
Class of Visual Task Typical Examples Recommended Illuminance (Lux)

1. Exceptionally difficult tasks Inspection of minute work, jewellery, watch-making, hosiery, knitwear. 2400 or more

b. Very difficult Extra-fine bench and machine work, tool & die making examining of dark goods, dye 1600
works - final perching.

Clothing trade-inspection, hand tailoring, grading and matching dark leather, dye- 1200
works-colour matching.

3. Difficult Fine bench and machine work, extra fine painting, spraying, matching, dye works- 800
reception, grey perching.

4. Normal range of task and Office work with poor contrast, drawing office, fine painting, proof-reading, 600
work-places computer rooms.

5. Moderately difficult Medium bench and machine work, typing, filing, reading, writing, wood working, 400
steel fabrication.
6. Ordinary Chalkboards & charts, pharma-stores, bottling & canning plants, book binding, food 300
preparation, cooking, canteens

7. Simple Rough bench and machine work, counting, checking, halls, waiting rooms, 200
warehouses, stores, parking, dispatch.

8. Rough intermittent tasks Live storage, rough bulky material, loading bays, change / locker rooms. 100

9. Movement & Orientation. Corridors with heavy traffic, walkways, stairs, rest-rooms, lanes. 50

Corridors with light traffic 20

 TYPES OF LIGHT, SOURCES, FITTINGS AND INSTALLATIONS

Types of Light
• Day, Natural or General Lighting
o In our country natural sun light available during most of the days is called
daylight or day lighting
o In an shop area the illumination due to natural light source can vary from 2000 lux to
60 lux form entrance or to inside the shop.
o It also varies from sun rise to sun set.
o It is the cheapest light and should be effectively utilized by proper design
of roof, doors, windows and ventilators.
• Artificial Lighting
o During the absence of natural light, to get adequate illumination artificial
source are required
o To get adequate lighting during day time, artificial lighting is done along with the
natural light (IS 3646 part I).
o Combination of natural and artificial light is known as twilighting..
o artificial light depend on types of artificial (viz electrical) light sources or
their fixtures electric lamp or tube or from many types of their
combination gives a verity of artificial lighting.
 Direct and Indirect lighting
• Direct Light means light falling on object directly from source (natural or
artificial). First reflection of the light is received by our eyes.
• For requirement of same brightness direct lighting requires less power
compare to brightness by indirect source.

• Indirect light is the light reflection received by the eyes after the light is
diffused of reflected from some surface or transparent surface.
• It helps in reducing glare and uniform brightness.

• Semi Direct or Semi Indirect Light : It is combination of direct and

indirect lighting were arrangement is such that light is directly as well as
reflected from other surface and the area is being illuminated.
 Types of light Source / light fitting and artificial lighting
• Types of light source : Various types of light sources are available for
artificial lighting.
• Following are types of light sources available :
1. Incandescent Tungsten filament lamps
2. Tungsten halogen lamp
3. Fluorescent tube
4. Mercury vapour (High Pressure) lamps with fluorescence.
5. Sodium vapour (low Pressure ) / High pressure) lamps.
6. Metal halide lamps

Above all have their own

1. Merits and demerits, different
2. Luminous efficiency,
3. Life and
4. Colour rendering index
 Types of light Source / light fitting and artificial lighting
• Selection also depends on :
1. Application
2. Atmospheric conditions and interiors where it is to be used
3. Surface features
4. Initial out lay
5. Running cost
6. Maintenance

• Note : Brief note on the each type of light fitting is to be prepared)

 Types of light Source / light fitting and artificial lighting
• Types of lighting fitting / installations :
1. For different application the factors influencing the selection are
appearance, efficiency, glare, density of equipment, frequency of
operation, maintenance, required colour rendering and hazardous
area classification.
2. Bare, reflector type, direct & indirect louvered diffused, local
lighting, hand lamps, flame proof & dust proof for hazardous areas.

• Cost of lighting
• It includes cost of fitting, cost of lamps, electricity , maintenance cost.
 Designing of lighting
For designing effective lighting all the eight points of principles of good
lightings are to be considered. Consider following things while selection
of lighting fittings :
• Luminance or brightness
• Avoidance of glare and shadow under normal seeing conditions and
sustained light output
• Mechanical construction easy to install or repair.
• Suitable for normal, special areas, indoor and outdoor installation
• Effective shadow effect
• Colour rendering and appearance
• Contrast with background
• Duration of work to be done
Any of the one system from the below can be selected : Direct, indirect,
semi indirect, Mixed.
 Designing of lighting
General considerations :
1. Avoid reflection
2. Comfortable seeing conditions (eliminating glare, gloom, unwanted
shadows)
3. Ease & safe means of access, service and Maintenance for good
working conditions
4. Consider cost of lighting
5. Selection of the fixture
6. Level of illumination
7. Lighting level as per the working conditions
• Optimum utilization of day light (refer IS 6060)
• Installation of artificial lighting
 Designing of lighting
Installation of artificial lighting
• Calculation of Artificial lighting:
1. Light source point method
2. Wattage Method: W= PS/N; W is wattage of light source in watts,
• P is power density in watts/ m2
• S is the area in m2
• N is number of light sources
3. Graphical method
4. Light flux Utilization factor:
Used to calculate general uniform lighting in industrial building
F = EXKZ/ UN
 Designing of lighting
Light flux Utilization factor:
Used to calculate general uniform lighting in industrial building
F = EXKZ/ UN
F= Light flux (lx)
E = Luminance (lx)
X = area of enclosure (m2)
K = correction factor for the luminary’s soiling (Constant)
Z = lighting non uniformity coefficient
U = light flux utilization of lighting fixture
N= number of lighting source.
 Designing of lighting
Plant lighting design :

Plant lighting is to be divided into three categories

• Normal AC lighting
• Essential AC lighting
• Critical DC lighting

• Photometer (lux meter)

It is instrument used to measure intensity of illumination. It works on
principle of current from photo electric cell.
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
Lighting and colour are complementary and their effects are
interdependent.
No lighting scheme is fully effective with out well chosen colour surface.
1. Need for colour
environment for work, play, relaxation can be created by selecting proper
colour.
Colour are used for :
• Improved lighting condition
• Increased efficiency and productivity
• Improved workmanship
• Moral
• Reduction in accident
• Reduced rejection
• Improved standards of housekeeping
• less maintenance
• Dull and gloomy atmosphere
• Psychological effect for better performance.
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
2. Reflection Factor (LRV) :
• The surface reflects light but the amount of light reflected depends
on the colour scheme of the surface.
• Two extremes of reflection are White : reflects 100%
Black : reflects 0%
Reflection factor of all other colours fall in between.
Recommended Light reflectance value (LVR) for interior :

Part Colour LVR

Ceiling White 80-90%
Walls Light colour 50-75%
Furniture Light to medium colour 30-50%
Floors Medium to dark colour 15-30%
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
2. Reflection Factor (LRV) :
Some of the light reflectance values (LVR) of some colours are as follows
Colour % of reflected light
White 85-90
Yellow Light- 75 Medium-65
Grey Light- 75 Medium-55 Dark-30
Green Light- 65 Medium-52 Dark-7
Blue Light- 55 Medium-35 Dark-8
Red Light- 40 Cardinal-20 Dark-13
Ivory Light- Over green or white stippled 40
Cream Light- 66
Buff Light- 56
Brown Dark-10
• From above table the sling and wall colour : light for more reflection
• Floor, furniture & equipments : medium to Dark – less reflection
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
3. Standards for Colour :
Various standards have been made for colour codes in various areas :
a. IS 9457 – Safety sinages
b. IS 2379 – Pipe line, identification
c. IS 1650 – Colours for buildings & Decorative
d. IS 9404 – Pipelines in thermal power plant
e. IS 8318 – Canisters and cartridges
f. IS 3933 – Gas cylinder
Colour coding is also defined as hazards like wise given in table
Red Orange
Yellow Purple
Green Black & White
Blue
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
3. Colour coding of pipeline is defined as per the content of the pipe
line: Red Water for fire protection
Yellow Hazardous chemical
Green Safe (Water)
Blue Inert gases

4. Either whole length of the pipeline is to be applied with the proper

colour or band of the colour shall be provided near valves, pumps, at
regular intervals. Name of material and the flow direction & Tags to
be provided.
5. Band of more than 30 cm to be provided to avoid misinterpretation
of band
6. Anti rust colour – for corrosive material (Acids)
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
Painting of plant & Machinery:
Colours over : Walls, Furniture, Floors, Well Painted Machinery

Ceilings : Reflection factor should be atleast 75% (white or near to white)

Matt finish is preferable but not aluminum paints
Walls: light colours with reflecting range of 50-75% are preferable, avoid glare
formation
Furniture: Preferable of reflection factor of 20% with proper contrast and guard
against distracting reflection.
Floor: Not too dark. Reflection factor of 20-25 % is preferable. Keeping the fact that
that the floor should not cause glare.
Well painted Machines : Encourages person working on machine. Improved moral.
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
Psychological Effect of colour
Red, Orange, Yellow (light) Warm colour
Blue , Green Cool colour
Off whites and pastel tints Light colours
Black , grey, deep tones Dark colours
Red, yellow, green, orange Bright colours
Guidelines for selecting the colour scheme :
1. Natural white or light colour are safe and render all colour shades in
true proportions
2. Cool colours give cool effect
3. Back ground colours shall be of bright effect
4. Yellow and black combination will loose its luminosity.
5. Black back ground makes all colour bright and white make paler
(successive contrast)
6. Colour can affect their back ground.
 EFFECT OF COLOUR ON SAFETY
Maintenane for lighting and colour:
Proper maintenance of lighting fittings and accessories should be taken
in to consideration along with following :
1. Choosing the equipment
2. Cleaning schedule
3. Replacement and group replacement