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Insufficient lighting in the workplace is a safety hazard that can contribute to a number of issues impacting an employee’s ability to egress in an emergency, operate machinery, and focus on the tasks at hand. Poor lighting conditions can lead to accidents from slips, trips, and falls, or from missing important details on safety signs or equipment.
OSHA’s requirements for industrial workplace lighting take into account the lighting direction, quantity, intensity, and the work being performed.
All general industry employers are required to follow OSHA’s lighting requirements in all environments where work is being performed.
OSHA’s general industry regulations, for the most part, do not go into specifics about the amount of illumination required in the workplace. In general, OSHA uses the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act to cite most hazards related to poorly lit workplaces, often referencing the ANSI standard (which is now replaced by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America [IESNA] RP-7: Practice for Industrial Lighting).
Generally, the lighting levels are based on the work environment and types of tasks that are being performed in that environment. In some cases, OSHA spells out illumination levels for specific circumstances, such as for powered industrial trucks, and exit routes.
OSHA outlines the following regarding lighting: