Standards & Guidelines
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AS/NZS 1158:
series The Australian Standard AS/NZS 1158 (0-6) outlines the national standards for lighting of roads and public spaces, including the use of traffic control devices on the road network. This document has been adopted by all jurisdictions and serves as a vital guideline for ensuring safe and effective lighting in public spaces.
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AS/NZS 4282:
Guidelines for managing the potentially disruptive impact of outdoor lighting. It establishes thresholds for key lighting metrics to mitigate these effects, with a primary focus on new installations. Additionally, the document offers suggestions for corrective actions that may be implemented in the case of existing lighting setups.
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AS/NZS 1680:
The purpose of this Standard is to establish a set of guiding principles and recommendations for the lighting of interior spaces in buildings, with the goal of enhancing performance and comfort. The scope of this Standard is primarily focused on interiors where specific visual tasks are carried out, and it takes into account both electric lighting and daylight.
The recommendations provided in this Standard aim to create a visual environment that enables the easy identification of essential task details, while also excluding or appropriately controlling adverse factors that could lead to visual discomfort. In addition, the Standard includes specific recommendations for lighting different types of interiors or activities, which can be found in AS(/NZS) 1680.2. It's important to also refer to AS/NZS 1680.0 for basic requirements related to safe movement.
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AS/NZS 2560:
The AS/NZS 2560 series outlines general principles and recommendations for lighting sports fields, and includes information on lighting equipment, as well as requirements for measurement and assessment of installations. The standard takes into account the needs of various levels of play, from recreational to national and international, as well as the visual requirements of participants, officials, and spectators.
These sports areas include aquatic sports, bowls, cricket, equestrian sports, football, hockey, netball and basketball, squash and tennis, as well as multipurpose indoor sports centres. The standard also includes recommendations for lighting spectator areas and ensuring safety.
It's important to note that this standard does not provide specific information on the special requirements for lighting related to colour television broadcasting.
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AS/NZS 1428:
This document outlines the necessary requirements for the design and application of tactile ground surface indicators in new buildings. These requirements are intended to promote safe and dignified mobility for people who are blind or vision-impaired.
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Council requirements
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Road controlling authority requirements
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CASA requirements
Spill light, glare and brightness
Spill Light
Light spilling into unwanted directions such as a bedroom, properties or environmental areas can be measured and assessed against standards and guidelines enforced by government organisations. Depending on the light’s purpose, it may be possible to show the amount of spill light exceeds the requirements of the enforceable standards and guidelines.
Below are some examples of lights which may spill excessively outside the intended design area/volume.
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Residential (neighbours outdoor lighting)
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Industrial/Commercial
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Sports lighting
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Floodlighting
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Street lighting1
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LED signs and other signage
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Car Park lighting
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Other
1Public lighting may be exempt due to its requirement for public safety. This is dependent on the road controlling authority, we can provide advice on most local council’s requirements.
Glare
Glare may be experienced when directly viewing a light source, whether intended or unintended. It may impact vision and the ability to see or may cause discomfort due to contrast with a dark background.
Glare into residential properties can be assessed by site investigations and measurements or by design.
Below are some examples of lights which may appear glary.
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Residential (neighbours outdoor lighting)
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Industrial/Commercial
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Sports lighting
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Floodlighting
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Street lighting1
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LED signs and other signage
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Car Park lighting
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Other
Public lighting is generally exempt from assessment as the standards restrict the luminous intensity of such lights.
Glare to vehicle operators such as drivers from glary light sources may impact their ability to see and operate vehicles safely. Glare from lights shining toward vehicle operators can be assessed against Threshold Increment (TI) requirements of the Australian Standards. Typically street lighting provided by the electricity provider/road controlling authority will comply with these requirements.
Brightness
Bright signs and surfaces can cause spill light and glare in unwanted directions and may impact vision. In addition to the above spill light and glare (intensity) requirements, signs also need to comply with the road controlling authority guidelines and potentially the Australian Standard AS/NZS 4282.
We can measure the brightness of LED signs, internally illuminated signs, externally illuminated signs and other bright surfaces with our precision scientific equipment.
Reporting
All requests will be provided with a detailed report of the findings.
All measurement reports with results will be accompanied by an uncertainty statement providing the estimated error in measurement, so you have confidence in reproducibility of results. All light meters are calibrated by a NATA Accredited Photometric Laboratory with traceable uncertainties in measurement.
Auditing and lighting assessments
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Spill light
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Glare
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Brightness
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Compliance
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Safety
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Standards, Policies, Requirements, Rules and Guidelines
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Road luminane