Product Overview

Summary: This SOP provides a clear, practical framework for assessing and improving workplace lighting to support accessibility, visibility, and safety for all workers and visitors. It helps Australian businesses create inclusive environments that reduce slips, trips, and strain injuries while supporting compliance with WHS and disability access obligations.

Lighting is a critical, yet often overlooked, factor in workplace safety and accessibility. Poorly designed or inadequate lighting can increase the risk of slips, trips and falls, eye strain, headaches, and disorientation—particularly for people with low vision, sensory sensitivities, or mobility impairments. This Lighting Improvement for Accessibility SOP sets out a structured process for assessing existing lighting conditions, identifying accessibility barriers, and implementing targeted improvements across offices, warehouses, healthcare, education, and public-facing environments.

The procedure guides you through planning and consultation, including engagement with workers, Health and Safety Representatives, and people with disability, as required by WHS consultation duties. It covers measurement of light levels, control of glare and contrast, safe transition between different lighting zones, and ongoing maintenance and review. By adopting this SOP, businesses can demonstrate due diligence under Australian WHS legislation, support obligations under disability discrimination and access requirements, and create safer, more inclusive workplaces that are easier to navigate for everyone.

Key Benefits

• Reduce slips, trips and falls by ensuring consistent, adequate illumination in walkways, stairs, entries and high-risk areas.
• Improve accessibility for people with low vision, sensory sensitivities and mobility impairments through considered lighting design and controls.
• Ensure alignment with WHS duties and Australian access and building standards relating to lighting and visual environments.
• Standardise how lighting assessments, upgrades and maintenance are planned, documented and reviewed across all sites.
• Enhance worker comfort, wellbeing and productivity by reducing glare, eye strain and poorly lit workstations.

Who is this for?

• WHS Managers
• Facilities Managers
• Building and Property Managers
• Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)
• Disability and Access & Inclusion Officers
• HR and People & Culture Managers
• Operations Managers
• Project Managers (Fit-out and Refurbishment)
• Maintenance Supervisors
• Office Managers

Hazards Addressed

• Slips, trips and falls due to poorly lit walkways, stairs and changes in level
• Collisions with obstacles or plant caused by inadequate visibility
• Disorientation and increased fall risk from sudden changes in light levels between areas
• Eye strain, headaches and fatigue from insufficient or excessive lighting and glare
• Reduced emergency egress safety due to inadequate emergency and exit lighting visibility
• Increased risk for people with low vision or sensory processing difficulties in visually confusing environments

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Concepts (Accessibility, Luminance, Glare, Contrast)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities
• 4.0 Consultation with Workers and People with Disability
• 5.0 Pre-Assessment Requirements and Reference Documents
• 6.0 Lighting and Accessibility Risk Assessment Process
• 7.0 Measurement of Light Levels and Visual Conditions
• 8.0 Design Principles for Accessible Lighting (Glare, Contrast, Transitions)
• 9.0 Implementation of Lighting Improvements (New Works and Retrofits)
• 10.0 Controls for Specific Areas (Entrances, Corridors, Stairs, Workstations, Amenities, Car Parks)
• 11.0 Emergency and Exit Lighting Considerations
• 12.0 Maintenance, Inspection and Testing Requirements
• 13.0 Training, Communication and Signage
• 14.0 Documentation, Records and Compliance Evidence
• 15.0 Review, Audit and Continuous Improvement
• 16.0 Appendices – Sample Checklists, Assessment Forms and Risk Matrix

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Regulations
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
• AS/NZS 1680.0: Interior and workplace lighting – Safe movement
• AS/NZS 1680.1: Interior and workplace lighting – General principles and recommendations
• AS/NZS 1680.2 series: Interior and workplace lighting – Specific applications (as relevant to the workplace)
• AS/NZS 1158 series: Lighting for roads and public spaces (for external and car park areas)
• AS 1428.1: Design for access and mobility – General requirements for access – New building work
• National Construction Code (NCC) – Performance Requirements relating to lighting, access and egress