Are there requirements for office workstation and lighting under work health and safety legislation? 

Are there any lighting standards with regard to confined areas such as file rooms and offices, and are there specific minimum size requirements for workstations in the office? 

Working environment obligations

The Work Health and Safety Regulation obliges a person conducting a business or undertaking to ensure, among other requirements for the general working environment, that: 

  • work areas have space for work to be carried out and people to enter, exit and move about without risk to health and safety (both under normal working conditions and in an emergency), and 
  • lighting is sufficient to enable workers to carry out their tasks and move about without risk to health and safety. 

Lighting must also be adequate to allow for safe evacuation in an emergency. 

These duties must be complied with, so far as is reasonably practicable, to create a healthy and safe workplace environment. 

The adequacy of workstation size, space and lighting should be checked by observations during a workplace inspection, in consultation with workers and in consideration of the types of tasks they are carrying out. If need be, an occupational hygienist can be consulted to measure and assess lighting levels (known as Lux readings). 

Australian standards 

There is an AS/NZS 1680.1:2006 Interior and workplace lighting – General principles and recommendations that provide recommendations for lighting in interiors of buildings to enhance the performance and comfort of those performing visual tasks. It deals with illuminating essential task details, using both artificial light and daylight while controlling or excluding factors that might cause visual discomfort. 

No minimum size requirements for office workstations are specified in WHS legislation. It is recommended that the selection of office furniture and equipment should be based on what will be comfortable and convenient to use for 95% of the population. 

This means that unusually tall people may find the furniture and fit-out somewhat confined (eg. with regard to the amount of legroom under a desk) and unusually short people may find benches and chairs are a bit too high for them. If this is the case, workers may often be accommodated by the use of footrests, adjustable chairs and other such measures.  

Relevant Australian Standards include AS/NZS 4442:2018 - Office desks, office workstations and tables intended to be used as office desks — Mechanical, dimensional and general requirements and test methods.

Note that Australian Standards provide guidance, but compliance with them is not required by law unless the law specifies that particular standards must be complied with. Compliance with the above-mentioned standards on lighting and office furniture is not specifically required under work health and safety legislation. Australian Standards may be purchased from the SAI Global Info Store.  

Guidance on office workstation and lighting requirements is also available from a number of work health and safety authorities. For example, the model Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities offers guidance on space and lighting in offices.