ATC Risk Management
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Environmental Issue - Light Pollution
Often overlooked as a form of pollution or environmental issue, excessive light which causes light pollution can have a major effect on the area surrounding the source, both for wildlife and for people.
Excessive light can disturb the roosting patterns of nesting birds nearby. As this is not as visually obvious on the birds as an oil spill washing up on the beach for example, the impact of light pollution is often either not even thought about at all, or, if it is, it is not given much consideration.
The disruption of sleeping patterns is not just limited to wildlife. People who live close to the source may also have their sleep disrupted by excessive lighting; whether by lights that are constantly on or from those that come on and off intermittently through the night. It can also play havoc with astronomers who find the night sky is drowned out by man-made artificial lights.
Light pollution does is not necessarily limited to night time. In places of work, lights which are overly bright can cause health problems for workers including headaches and sore eyes/eye strain. Bright or too many lights also uses up unnecessary amounts of electricity, which is bad for the environment as electricity generation often produces harmful pollution if it does not come from an environmentally friendly source or method.
Companies need to consider the environmental and health effects of light levels internally and on the surrounding area at night when conducting risk assessments and environmental impact studies. At ATC Risk Management, we run a number of accredited and non-accredited environmental health and safety training courses, including NEBOSH Certificate and Diploma qualifications such as the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate or the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma qualification. To find out more information and to read the various programme outlines, please call us on 0115 984 9940 or visit our website by clicking on our logo below.
Often overlooked as a form of pollution or environmental issue, excessive light which causes light pollution can have a major effect on the area surrounding the source, both for wildlife and for people.
Excessive light can disturb the roosting patterns of nesting birds nearby. As this is not as visually obvious on the birds as an oil spill washing up on the beach for example, the impact of light pollution is often either not even thought about at all, or, if it is, it is not given much consideration.
The disruption of sleeping patterns is not just limited to wildlife. People who live close to the source may also have their sleep disrupted by excessive lighting; whether by lights that are constantly on or from those that come on and off intermittently through the night. It can also play havoc with astronomers who find the night sky is drowned out by man-made artificial lights.
Light pollution does is not necessarily limited to night time. In places of work, lights which are overly bright can cause health problems for workers including headaches and sore eyes/eye strain. Bright or too many lights also uses up unnecessary amounts of electricity, which is bad for the environment as electricity generation often produces harmful pollution if it does not come from an environmentally friendly source or method.
Companies need to consider the environmental and health effects of light levels internally and on the surrounding area at night when conducting risk assessments and environmental impact studies. At ATC Risk Management, we run a number of accredited and non-accredited environmental health and safety training courses, including NEBOSH Certificate and Diploma qualifications such as the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate or the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma qualification. To find out more information and to read the various programme outlines, please call us on 0115 984 9940 or visit our website by clicking on our logo below.
Environmental Issue - Light Pollution
