scope:

This Standard provides specific design criteria for illumination in various locations within a health care facility.

Note: Lighting is both an art and a science. The basic technical criteria given in this Standard are not intended to inhibit creative design, but rather to ensure that minimum requirements are met.

This Standard deals with

a) illumination sources;

b) luminaires;

c) illumination levels (see Table 1); and

d) guidelines for specific areas and tasks.

This Standard does not deal with

a) therapeutic illumination devices (e.g., phototherapy lamps); and

b) special purpose devices such as UV sources for sterilization.

This Standard addresses requirements for illumination design. However, it is not meant to remove the need for consultation with users regarding specific or unusual requirements.

The requirements in this Standard are intended to be subordinate to applicable Provincial, Federal, or local regulatory authorities.

In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.