Comparison of Light Intensity with Area Measurement VS. Illuminance Standard of Foreign Countries: Case Study at Workplaces in Lao People's Democratic Republic

Abstract

This study was a comparison of light intensity with area measurement in universities, hospitals, and industry, a case study in Vientiane Capital, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) using a Digital Lux Meter model LX-71 that has been calibrated (Calibration) with a certificated document. Before starting every measurement, the photometer zeroing was adjusted. This measurement was an area measurement of the averaged illumination intensity. There are 353 study areas in total compared to the illumination intensity standard of the Ministry of Labor, Thailand, 2018.  This shown that there are 34.84% of compliance with the standard and 65.16% of non-compliance with the standard. Compared the averaged illumination intensity with the standard IES.1981.1983 of the United States, 34.56 % of the number of areas that passed the limit, and 65.44% of the number of areas that non-pass the limit were revealed. While compared the averaged light intensity to the European Union's EN 12464-1:2002 standard, 30.31% of the number of areas that was compliant with the standard and 69.69% of the number of areas that was non-compliant with the standard were found. Therefore, these light intensity results with area measurement were still a lot of working areas with insufficient light intensity for the staffs in universities, hospitals, and industry. When comparing the results with 3 illuminance standards of foreign countries, it was found that the standard of the Ministry of Labor, Thailand, 2018 and the IES standard, the United States had a much higher percentage of compliant light intensity with these limits than the EN 12464-1:2002 standard. Therefore, this research can also be used to support information for making decision on setting the appropriate light intensity standard in Lao PDR and be the starting point for the application and development of light intensity standard in Lao PDR, by considering the selection of the standard of light intensity that has been accepted from abroad, which considers the health, safety and work efficiency of employees, as well as the considerations of economic feasibility and measurement methods for implementation and enforcement in enterprises. This affect to allocate the budget appropriately and to save investment cost as well as reduce unnecessary energy use.