“Physical factors in the workplace”. This is the title of the now released baua : Aktuell. The latest edition of the official communications of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) deals with the effects of physical factors such as light, noise or climate.
It shows that these factors can have a major impact not only on the physical, but also on the mental health of employees. Thus, unfavorable lighting or noise, even if it is below the hearing impairing threshold, can act as stressors. The various contributions deal with current research results and also address concrete design guidelines for operational practice.
Physical factors are still one of the key elements to consider when designing the work environment. Noise, light or climate have a decisive effect on the health, safety and well-being of employees. In various research and development projects, the BAuA deals with various factors. This includes, for example, the UV-Beam load during welding. On the basis of its analysis results, the BAuA has developed calculation and evaluation procedures in order to be better able to assess the exposure to optical radiation at the welding workstation. In addition, this issue deals with the acoustic design of office space and the effects of light on the sleep-wake cycle of humans.
The BAuA implements its research results in various guidelines and practical guidelines. Their goal is to introduce design knowledge at an early stage in the planning and design of construction projects as well as in the acquisition of machinery. So a contribution deals with the purchase of quiet machines. In addition to the main topic, the baua: Aktuell informs about dates of the BAuA and reports about events as well as ongoing projects. Readers will also get an insight into the exhibition ” TeamPlay” , which can be seen until June 24, 2018 in the DASA Arbeitswelt exhibition.
The current edition is available free of charge on the BAuA website at www.baua.de/publikationen, as are all communications published since 2005 .