OSHA Construction Lighting Standards: Ensuring Workplace Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides guidelines regarding the minimum lighting requirements on a construction job site. This creates a safer situation for workers and bystanders.

Measurement

• OSHA's requirements are listed in foot-candles. According to YourDictionary.com, a foot-candle is equal to one lumen per square foot, which is about the amount of light generated by one candle.

General Construction Area Lighting

• A general construction site is required to have at least 5 foot-candles of light. This is also true of any indoor work area, such as a warehouse, corridor or tunnel. One exception to this rule is at the head of a tunnel or shaft during active drilling. In this case, the minimum requirement is 10 foot-candles.

Construction Plants and Shops

• OSHA states that a general construction plant must have 10 foot-candles of lighting. OSHA considers such areas as mechanical and electrical equipment rooms, carpenter shops, and indoor toilets and workrooms to fall under this category.