A survey of the optical hazards associated with hospital light sources with reference to the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010

Workplace exposure to coherent and incoherent optical radiation from artificial sources is regulated under the Artificial Optical Radiation Directive (AORD) 2006/25/EC, now implemented in the UK under the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations (AOR) 2010. These regulations set out exposure limit values. Implementing the AOR (2010 Health and Safety Statutory Instrument No 1140 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/1140/pdf/ uksi 20101140 en.pdf) requirements in a hospital environment is a potentially complex problem because of the wide variety of sources used for illumination, diagnosis and therapy. A survey of sources of incoherent optical radiation in a large hospital is reported here. The survey covers examples of office lighting, operating theatre lighting, examination lamps, and sources for ultraviolet phototherapy and visible phototherapies, including photodynamic therapy and neonatal blue-light therapy. The results of the survey are used to inform consideration of the strategy that a hospital might reasonably adopt both to demonstrate compliance with the AOR (2010) and to direct implementation effort.