Páginas: 4 págs.
Autor:

Richard Forster
Lighting Consultant and Editor, Society of Light and Lighting Newsletter

Introducción:

Any hospital complex encompasses a broad range of functional elements and is almost a selfsupporting community. The occupancy is both complex and dynamic and, therefore, any lighting has to meet the separate, and even conflicting,
visual needs of staff, patients and visitors. Furthermore, many areas are in use 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Extending the natural working day is possible by electric lighting, but for hospitals the use of artificial lighting occurs to a much greater extent than in normal commercial and industrial premises.

Recommended illuminations vary from one lux for night-lighting to 100,000 lux in operating theatres. The first objective is the provision of adequate
illumination. Attempts to save energy by underlighting are a false economy, as without sufficient light errors and mistakes increase and visual fatigue
reduces the rate of work.

It is impossible to deal with all the lighting issues in a single article, so a small number of aspects have been selected. Their relative importance will vary from site-to-site, but hopefully it will be possible to audit local conditions either by a walk-through survey or by asking a few key questions of facilities management and procurement.
Forster, Richard