Want to Increase Productivity?
Invest in Better Workbench Task Lights
The problems caused by poor lighting are often overlooked because the symptoms aren’t as obvious as malfunctioning equipment or ineffective tools. But the fact is that the quality of your lighting has a huge impact on the capability of your staff. Investing in non-flickering, high frequency workbench task lights can achieve much more than just brightening up your factory or (technical) laboratory.
 Skilled workers in high value manufacturing are one of a business’ biggest assets and should be looked after. They need to be provided with a safe working environment and the tools to do their jobs. Failure to do so can hamper their performance, cause accidents and lead to absenteeism. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that lighting is one of the major factors in providing the best working conditions possible.
Although not visible to the naked eye, standard lights are constantly flickering. Studies have shown how the flickering can cause eye strain, fatigue and even headaches. This means outdated lighting is lowering the productivity of your staff because it makes it harder for them to concentrate and makes them tired.1
Flickering engineering bench task lights also cause other problems for workers. They’re less effective for rendering colour, making it harder to spot potential defects. The stroboscopic effect can also be dangerous if employees are working on rapidly rotating objects because they can give the illusion of appearing stationary.
These problems can all be avoided by investing in high frequency workbench task lights that provide a constant beam and properly illuminate the work area.
High frequency task lights have many positive benefits. They place less strain on your workers’ eyes and will improve their speed and accuracy in locating objects. Less eye strain means workers can remain more alert, lower the risk of making mistakes and be more productive.
In the last thirty years the use of light has also gained popularity in the medical field because of its positive therapeutic qualities. Recent studies have shown that light controls a large number of the body’s psychological processes, such as mood and body clock.2
As high value manufacturing moves further towards 24/7 operations, providing high quality lighting will be hugely beneficial for workers on late shifts.3 They’ll find it a lot easier to stay alert because their bodies will feel as though they’re being bathed in sunlight. Light is also a strong influencer upon mood, and a happy worker is a more productive worker.
Whilst high frequency task lights might be more expensive, they’re more efficient and last longer. The investment can also be recouped, normally within a year, from improved productivity and increased profits. In fact, studies have suggested that replacing your factory lights from the minimum industry standard to a higher frequency can increase productivity by more than 10%.4
Studies conducted by Philips and Helsinki University of Technology discovered a similar rise in productivity when high frequency task lights were used. The study assessed that workers using a task light with a constant beam could increase their productivity by 3.0%, and 4.5% if using task lights fitted with a dimmer.5
When you also consider that the workforce is getting older, providing good quality lighting will be essential for high value manufacturing to remain efficient and to create a bright, positive environment in your factory or (technical) laboratory.6
So if your workbenches are still using conventional, flickering task lights, you might want to consider upgrading to high frequency lights with a constant beam. They’ll enable your workers to stay more alert, productive and consequently increase profits.
21.1.2008
1 http://ecmweb.com/news/designing_ind_light_sys/
2http://www.cs.ubbcluj.ro/~hfpop/lec/journal/2001-07/07.pdf
3http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2007/111.html
4http://www.cs.ubbcluj.ro/~hfpop/lec/journal/2001-07/07.pdf
5"The influence of controllable task-lighting on productivity", Applied Ergonomics, Volume 38, Issue 1, January 2007, p. 39-44
6http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2007/111.html
 
|
