Lighting of working areas
A working area is defined according to EN 12464-1 as the part of the workplace at which tasks are performed. For areas where the size and/or placement of the working area is unknown, the area where the tasks are to be performed shall be considered as the working area.
The working area usually consists of the entire workplace/desk. For example, at an office workplace, the working area is made up of a smaller surface where writing and reading tasks are carried out.
Working with a display and keyboard usually requires lower illuminance than when other reading and writing tasks are performed. It should be possible to adapt the illuminance when working with display screen equipment to the surrounding light.
At industrials sites the size of the working area can vary even more, from workplaces for tasks involving microelectronics to a production line for assembling cars.
Since the exact size of the working area is unknown, this can normally be assumed for an office workplace to occupy an area of size 0.6×0.6 m.In this case, the working area is assumed to be directly in front of the person’s normal position and at the front edge of the desk. The variation of illuminance, i.e. the ratio between the lowest illuminance in relation to the average illuminance in the working area, should be as small as possible and not fall below 0.6.
In the collection of tables in EN 12464-1, the requirements for uniformity are specified separately for each type of task or activity.