Journal of Ergonomics

Introduction: In an educational environment, the quality of vision is integral to educational progress. Creating visual comfort and increasing efficiency and the desire to study are among the benefits of adjusting the lighting in classrooms and preventing visual impairment in the students. The present study was conducted to evaluate the degree of internal lighting in girls' schools across Hamadan in 2006 and 2014 so as to help identify their potential problems.

Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in girls' schools across Hamadan on two different occasions –in 2006 and 2014. On each occasion, the average general and local lighting on the classroom blackboards were measured by the recommended methods of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America on non-sunny days using a Lux Meter and were then compared to the standard limits recommended in the Health and Safety Code of schools and by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. In addition to the degree of lighting, certain quality assessment criteria were assessed, including the lighting layout, lamp maintenance, contrast, internal surface cleaning, lighting system maintenance, type of lamps and technical suitability of the design.

Results: Taking the criteria for favorable lighting conditions into account, less than 25% of the sites examined had favorable lighting on both occasions in 2006, only 16% of the classes had favorable general lighting and in 2014, the degree of lighting fell to an unacceptable range in all classes and only 6% of the entire classroom were covered by a standard degree of local lighting on the blackboard. The results also show that surface reflection coefficients are within the desirable range.

Conclusion: The lack of favorable general and local lighting on the blackboard at schools in 2014 and its comparison with the results of the 2006 lighting assessment indicate that providing standard lighting is still a problem for schools. Improper lighting layouts and the use of incandescents or inappropriate light bulbs are among the major causes of poor lighting conditions in girls' school across Hamadan.