Did you know that vision accounts for more than 70% of all sensory information received by the brain? And what does this have to do with lighting and productivity in the workplace? The concept of illuminance explains this relationship, configuring itself as the degree of lighting appropriate for the corporate environment to offer comfort and visual security in performing the activities, which stimulates the performance of teams.
Until 2013, the assessment of illuminance in industrial warehouses was regulated by standard NBR 5413. Since then, the Ministry of Labor has updated the standard, replacing it with NBR 8995-1, which brings slightly more specific rules for the lighting of corporate environments, as in the case of industrial warehouses.
Among the rules, the elaboration of lighting engineering projects that consider market innovations in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability, such as the replacement of conventional lamps by LEDs, stands out. In this sense, it is the duty of managers and occupational safety professionals to assess compliance with technical standards to ensure a healthy, comfortable, and productive workplace.
This can be done by measuring the criteria that interfere in the luminosity of the shed, such as brightness, illuminance and luminous flux. The luxmeter is the device that allows this evaluation, indicating whether the site provides the necessary visual comfort for employees to perform their tasks comfortably and safely.
In this content, we will talk more about the subject, explaining how daylighting systems enable an adequate light flow without the need to consume electricity. Read on and understand how to adapt to the norms and raise your industrial shed to a more sustainable level!
The advantages of daylighting for the work environment
One of the great advantages of daylighting for corporate environments is the fact that the luminous flux is diffuse and disperses evenly throughout the warehouse, which increases the visual comfort of the teams. In addition, it reduces the need for large interventions, such as mirrored structures and light guides, very common in lighting fixtures in general. Other benefits include:
- More well-being and mood for the employees;
- Less likelihood of errors and accidents;
- Improved team bonding;
- More healthiness in the production chain;
- Electrical energy savings;
- Increased productivity in general.
What is the optimal illuminance level?
With so many advantages of daylighting, you may be wondering: what is the ideal illuminance level to ensure that this type of system will work at peak performance? The ideal illuminance level (measured in lux) for each environment is defined by NBR 8995-1, which establishes specific criteria for workplaces.
The nature of the activities performed in the room is what determines whether the illuminance should be higher or lower. Activities that require more concentration and visual acuity are related to lighting designs that demand higher levels of illuminance.
No wonder the Ministry of Labor has such robust regulatory standards to ensure that safety standards are being maintained. This is further proof of how important this factor is for the productivity and efficiency of the teams. After all, in a poorly lit place, in addition to the risk of accidents, teams generally do not perform well. Below, we will give more details about what the regulations say.
Brazilian Standards NBR 5413 and NBR 8995-1
We have seen that the appropriate illuminance values for each environment depend on the type of activity taking place there. The standards indicate, for example, the minimum necessary illuminance of 150 lux in storage and transit areas and 300 lux or 500 lux in the production area.
In the section referring to the electrical industry, it is established that the environment must maintain 1500 lux of illumination. Generally speaking, in sheds that do not demand detailed visual work, a good reference figure is 750 lux. This definition, however, will depend on the factors considered by the luminotechnical project teams.
Illuminance and daylighting in the work environment
Daylighting systems are highly recommended to enhance the illuminance levels in the work environment. This type of intelligent solution ensures more than enough light levels to meet the values required by technical standards. All this without consuming electricity to function.
In other words, it is an investment with guaranteed return in terms of economy and sustainability for industrial warehouses. An example of a natural lighting system are the linear domes, capable of keeping the factory well-lit - strategically and uniformly - for about eight hours of work time without the need for artificial lamps.
See more details about daylighting systems for industry and understand how they work!
Besides contributing to the industry to achieve energy efficiency, linear domes are easy to install and require little maintenance, which also favors the company's budget flow when configuring the lighting design project. For you to understand how this solution works in practice consider the following example of a supermarket located in the city of Biguaçu, Santa Catarina:
The supermarket has linear domes from the MB Group, a specialist in natural lighting and ventilation solutions for industry. The domes of this supermarket were manufactured in honeycomb polycarbonate, in order to enhance the incidence of natural lighting.
The lux meter shows that, with this installation, the illuminance levels reached the 1500 lux range, i.e., much higher than required to meet the technical standards. This proves that, besides the efficiency of the system, the industry gains in sustainability and quality of life at work, since visual comfort is guaranteed without any energy expenditure.
Like the idea? Learn about the main models and installation methods for daylighting systems and be surprised by the results!
