Why warehouse lighting needs its own survey
Warehouses fail lux tests in ways offices never do. High-bay fittings at 10 m or more lose output to dust, racking throws deep shadows down aisles, mezzanines block light to the floor below, and motion sensors switch off lanes that a reach truck is about to enter. Average readings taken in the open floor can look fine while the pick face at the bottom of a 12 m aisle is badly under-lit. A warehouse lighting survey measures where the work and the traffic actually are.
The duty is regulation 8 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, explained in HSE guidance HSG38 Lighting at work. HSE pays particular attention to lighting where pedestrians and vehicles mix, because poor visibility is a contributing factor in workplace transport incidents. The detailed values come from BS EN 12464-1:2021, summarised in our warehouse lighting standards guide.
Warehouse lux levels we test against
| Area | Em (lux) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Storage rack gangways, unmanned | 20 | Floor level |
| Storage rack gangways, manned | 150 | Floor level |
| Rack faces | 200 | Vertical illuminance on the face |
| Control stations | 150 | |
| Stores and stockrooms | 100 | |
| Dispatch packing and handling areas | 300 | |
| Loading ramps and bays | 150 | |
| Warehouse office or goods-in desk | 500 | Screen and paperwork tasks |
Vertical illuminance on rack faces matters as much as the floor figure: pickers need to read labels and barcodes at every beam level, not just at knee height. External yards, gatehouses and HGV parking come under BS EN 12464-2:2024 and can be added to the same visit.
What we measure on site
- Aisles and gangways at floor level along their length, including the far end where light usually drops away.
- Rack faces at low, middle and upper levels, so you can see whether top-level labels are readable from the truck.
- Goods-in, dispatch, packing benches and returns, where checking and labelling tasks need more light.
- Loading docks, including the inside of trailers where dock lights are fitted.
- Under mezzanines and conveyors, the most common failure zones.
- Pedestrian walkways, crossings and fire exit routes.
- Sensor behaviour: timeouts, dimmed "standby" levels and response as people or trucks enter a zone.
We schedule around shift patterns and can survey on nights or weekends. Where natural light from roof lights is significant we record it separately or return after dark, so the electric lighting is judged on its own.
Who asks for warehouse lighting evidence
Most requests come from operations and H&S managers after a near miss or a transport risk assessment review, from insurers and their risk engineers, from landlords and tenants recording the condition of a unit at lease start or end, and from 3PL operators whose clients audit their sites. Retailers and pharmaceutical distributors often build lighting checks into supplier standards. LED upgrades are another trigger: our guide to whether an LED upgrade can reduce compliance explains why a new high-bay scheme should always be measured.
Your warehouse lux report
- Aisle-by-aisle and zone-by-zone results against the BS EN 12464-1:2021 value, with pass, marginal or fail flags.
- Average, minimum and uniformity for each zone, plus vertical readings for rack faces.
- Plan mark-ups showing reading positions and problem areas.
- Practical remedies: cleaning, relamping, sensor timeout and standby-level changes, optic changes or re-spacing before wholesale replacement.
- A summary for insurers, landlords or client auditors.
Report turnaround depends on site size and is confirmed when you book.
Warehouse lux testing across London and the South East
We test warehouses and distribution sites across London, the M25 corridor and the logistics hubs of Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, as well as Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. Multi-site operators can have every unit surveyed to the same method for like-for-like comparison.
Price
Warehouse and industrial lux surveys start from £320. The final price depends on floor area, aisle count, racking height and whether you want external yards included. Multi-site programmes are priced on application, and the price is confirmed before you book. See pricing.
Book a warehouse lighting survey
Tell us the site address, approximate floor area, racking height and shift pattern, and we will propose a survey slot that does not disrupt operations. Book your warehouse lux test.
Frequently asked questions
What lux level is required in warehouse aisles?
BS EN 12464-1:2021 gives 150 lux at floor level for manned storage rack gangways and 20 lux for unmanned gangways, with 200 lux vertical illuminance recommended on rack faces.
Can you survey while the warehouse is operating?
Yes. We work around trucks and pickers under your site rules, and can attend on nights or weekends if that is safer or gives cleaner readings.
Do you measure the top of the racking or just the floor?
Both. We take floor readings along aisles and vertical readings on rack faces at several heights, because labels at upper beam levels are where picking errors often start.
Do motion sensors affect a warehouse lux test?
They can. We record lighting with sensors active and note timeouts and standby levels, since lanes that dim or switch off too early are a frequent cause of failed readings and complaints.