Every ceiling light works, but the technician still cannot see the component clearly. The warehouse looks bright from the doorway, but the picking label sits in shadow. These are lighting problems, even without a failed bulb. A workplace lighting assessment should establish whether people can see the detail, hazards and routes that their actual work requires. For SMEs, that means looking beyond the electricity bill and checking the occupied workplace at the times it is used.
Start with the duty, not a universal lux target
For workplaces covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 in Great Britain, regulation 8 requires lighting that is suitable and sufficient. Natural light should be used so far as reasonably practicable. The regulation also requires suitable and sufficient emergency lighting where failure of artificial lighting would expose people to danger. These are existing duties, not a new October 2026 rule.
The regulation does not prescribe one illuminance figure for every room or task. HSE explains that detailed work needs different lighting from circulation space. A number copied from a generic checklist cannot settle whether somebody can identify a defect, read a warning or judge a step safely. Start by defining what must be visible and the consequences if it is missed.
Workplace Regulations: regulation 8 ↗ · HSE: workplace health, safety and welfare (L24) ↗
Inspect the task with the workplace occupied
Walk the site with somebody who does the work. Ask them to show the difficult part: a recessed fixing, a reflective label, a gauge behind pipework or the last pick from a bottom shelf. Record the location, task, normal viewing position and circumstances. A photograph can help locate the problem, but should not replace the observation.
Consider a Teesside engineering workshop moving an inspection bench under new racking. The old lighting arrangement may have worked before the move. Check it again with stock in place and the operator standing normally. If their body blocks the light, replacing the same overhead lamp with a brighter version may leave the underlying problem unresolved.
Include early starts, late finishes and overcast conditions where relevant. Ask cleaners and maintenance staff about areas they use when production lighting is switched off. Put the revisit in the action plan if the first inspection cannot represent those conditions.
Separate brightness from visibility
HSE identifies glare, colour, contrast and shadows as relevant factors, not just the amount of light. A reflection can obscure a display or polished component. A bright fitting in the normal line of sight can make the task uncomfortable. Look from the user's position before deciding where another light should go.
Trial a targeted change: reposition the task, alter the lighting direction, provide suitable local task lighting or control daylight with blinds. Check that the improvement remains effective when somebody moves or the sun changes position. Do not allow one person's adjustment to dazzle the neighbouring workstation.
For screen-based work, feed the findings into the workstation assessment. This lighting review does not replace the broader DSE assessment of equipment, furniture, working arrangements and individual needs.
HSE: lighting and human factors ↗ · Related guide: DSE workstation assessment →
Use measurements to answer a defined question
Where adequacy is uncertain, arrange competent assessment using appropriate illuminance measurements. Record the task plane, measurement positions, equipment, daylight conditions and which lights were operating. Retain the applicable recommendation and why it fits that activity, rather than keeping a spreadsheet of unexplained numbers.
HSE's HSG38 gives minimum recommended lighting levels and discusses distribution as well as illuminance on the task. It is guidance, not a lighting certificate or a substitute for assessment. A satisfactory reading at one convenient point does not demonstrate satisfactory conditions across a bench, aisle or changing task.
Ask the assessor to explain limitations and the proposed remedy. For example: does the reading describe an empty bench or the occupied working position? Has reflected glare been investigated separately? Is further lighting design input needed? Avoid buying a full replacement installation before the problem and acceptance criteria are clear.
Turn a lighting complaint into an actionable assessment.
HR + SAFETY can help review the working task, prioritise controls and identify when competent lighting measurements or specialist design are needed.
Discuss a workplace lighting concernCheck routes and changes between light and dark
HSE's workplace-transport guidance covers roads, manoeuvring areas, yards and pedestrian areas. It also highlights sudden changes between light and dark: drivers and pedestrians need time for their eyes to adjust. Inspect entrances and loading areas in both directions, including the effect of daylight or vehicle headlights.
A useful yard check follows the actual pedestrian route when trailers, containers and parked vehicles are in their usual positions. Name the responsible person for each defect, particularly where a landlord controls external fittings. Keep lamps and covers maintained, and avoid directing new lighting towards neighbours or approaching drivers.
Listen to staff and close the maintenance loop
Treat reports of flicker, difficulty seeing or discomfort as prompts to investigate. Individual needs can differ; discuss the task with the person instead of assuming everyone needs the same change. Where necessary, involve occupational health or an appropriate specialist. Keep personal health information separate from the general maintenance list.
Give staff a clear reporting route, a named owner and an interim arrangement if work cannot safely continue. After repair, ask the affected user to repeat the task and confirm the outcome. Review recurring defects and revisit assessments after layout, equipment or working-hours changes.
Normal task lighting and emergency lighting solve different problems. Keep emergency-lighting inspection, testing and escape arrangements linked but distinct; a successful emergency-light test does not demonstrate adequate routine working light.
A practical lighting assessment checklist
Legal requirements and official HSE guidance checked on 16 October 2026. This guide addresses ordinary workplace and task lighting; specialist premises and activities may need additional assessment.
- Identify the task and the detail or hazard that must be seen.
- Observe normal working positions, occupied layouts and relevant shifts.
- Check shadows, reflections, glare, colour recognition and reported flicker.
- Include routes, entrances and transitions between light and dark.
- Record individual needs and trial suitable adjustments with the worker.
- Commission measurements or specialist design input where needed.
- Assign actions, interim controls, ownership and completion dates.
- Verify improvements in use and review when circumstances change.
Assess what people can actually see, not whether the lights turn on. A useful record connects the task, conditions, findings, appropriate evidence and a verified improvement.
This guide provides general information for UK employers. It is not legal advice and should not replace advice based on the facts of a specific matter.