Separate four lighting questions before taking a reading.
A ship lighting request may concern ordinary illuminance on a work or circulation plane, emergency-lighting changeover and selected illuminance, emergency-source endurance, or low-location-lighting luminance and decay. These are not interchangeable tests. A lux meter used for a normal-lighting grid does not by itself verify battery duration or a photoluminescent escape-path system.
| Decision | Primary evidence | Operating condition | Do not substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the occupied or task area adequately illuminated? | Defined lux points on the relevant plane, criterion and summary method | Agreed normal supply, daylight and dimming state | Visual impression or one point below a fitting |
| Does emergency lighting change over and illuminate selected routes? | Functional observation plus scoped emergency-supply measurements | Simulated loss or approved test arrangement | Normal-supply grid |
| Does the emergency source meet required duration? | Separate discharge/endurance record with load and start/end condition | Applicable vessel rule and safe test procedure | A short changeover test |
| Does low-location lighting meet its requirement? | Applicable luminance/decay or electrical-system procedure | Specified activation, conditioning and time sequence | Ordinary horizontal lux survey |
Use the canonical onboard illumination and lighting survey service for ordinary and scoped emergency-lighting measurements. Use the separate low-location-lighting survey service where the escape-path system and its applicable measurement quantity are the decision.
Record the exact requirement beside the space.
Suitable values and test conditions can depend on vessel type, space, task, flag implementation, class rule or notation, Maritime Labour Convention accommodation basis, offshore requirement, owner specification, newbuilding contract or approved drawing. Do not build a report from an unlabelled internet lux table. Identify the document, edition, clause, drawing and authorised reviewer before fixing the grid.
| Space / task | Decision | Criterion and edition | Plane / height | Supply / daylight state | Acceptance owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
MLC accommodation guidance requires electric light and suitable standards but does not turn every room into one universal numerical limit. IEC 60092-306:2022 addresses shipboard luminaires and lighting accessories; it is not, by itself, a complete space-by-space survey acceptance table. SOLAS applicability and emergency services depend on the ship and location. Record the controlling basis instead of combining fragments from different regimes.
Measure where the visual task happens.
Define whether the relevant plane is horizontal, vertical, floor level, stair tread, control face, gauge, chart table, galley bench, workbench, berth reading position or another task surface. Record height, orientation and the reason each point represents the decision. A general room average can hide a dark access route, control face or maintenance position.
| Point ID | Space / task | Plane / height / orientation | Grid rationale | Criterion | Measured lux | Exception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LX-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| LX-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| LX-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| LX-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Mark point IDs on a drawing or photograph where permitted. Use a spacing rationale that represents the task, room geometry and luminaire pattern. Add targeted points at likely dark zones, transitions, steps or control positions, but label them separately from a regular grid so the summary calculation remains interpretable.
Freeze the lighting state before comparing readings.
Record normal or emergency supply, circuit and switch state, dimming level, automatic controls, lamp warm-up, daylight inclusion or exclusion, blinds and curtains, doors, temporary lighting, failed or dirty fittings, diffusers, obstructions, reflective surfaces, shadows, supply voltage where relevant and recent maintenance. Note whether machinery, vibration or voltage fluctuation affects stability.
| Run / time | Supply / circuit | Dimming / controls | Daylight / openings | Fitting condition | Temporary obstruction | Retain / repeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUN-___ / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| RUN-___ / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| RUN-___ / ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
If daylight is part of the agreed operating condition, record time, weather and affected points. If the decision concerns installed artificial lighting, control or exclude daylight as required by the basis. Do not compare a daylight-assisted commissioning survey with a night or blackout retest without stating the difference.
Preserve calibration, orientation and point traceability.
Record meter make, model, serial number, range, resolution and calibration status. Retain calibration certificate identity and due date, and note spectral or cosine-response information where it matters to the source and decision. Perform the agreed field function check before and after measurement. Record overload, instability, battery condition or any range change.
| Meter / serial | Range / resolution | Calibration evidence | Pre-check | Post-check | Orientation / shading control | Data file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LM-___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Place the sensor on the defined plane without the surveyor shading it or reflecting additional light onto it. Allow the reading to stabilise under the agreed method. A photograph can support point traceability but must not reveal confidential vessel information without permission.
Show individual points before any room summary.
Calculate an arithmetic average only across the points defined for the same representative grid and operating condition. Preserve the minimum and identify its location. Calculate a uniformity ratio only when the project basis defines the ratio and its use. Do not silently combine task points, transition points, vertical controls, floor measurements and a horizontal room grid.
| Space / grid | Valid points | Average lux | Minimum lux / point | Defined uniformity result | Criterion | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
A bright measurement directly under a luminaire cannot compensate automatically for a dark stair, gauge or work surface. Report both the space-level summary and any separately evaluated critical point. If a criterion applies point by point, an acceptable average does not cure an individual failure.
Separate changeover, illuminance and endurance evidence.
A functional test can record which fittings transfer after loss of normal supply and whether the intended routes or stations illuminate. A scoped lux test can measure selected points under the emergency source. A battery or emergency-source duration test is a different activity requiring the applicable duration, safe test method, start condition, load, monitoring, end condition, restoration and acceptance owner.
Do not state a universal 30-minute, three-hour or eighteen-hour duration without the applicable vessel type, location, flag implementation, SOLAS requirement, class rule or approved design basis. Coordinate any discharge test with the master, chief engineer and responsible electrical personnel; operational safety takes priority over a survey schedule.
Ordinary lux readings do not establish LLL performance.
Photoluminescent low-location systems can require conditioning, activation and luminance readings at defined times. Electrically powered systems can require functional, electrical and illumination evidence under their applicable requirement. Record system type, route, component condition, activation state, instrument, timing and criterion. Keep this work on the dedicated low-location-lighting canonical rather than treating the ordinary illumination page as a duplicate.
Make every conclusion traceable to a point and condition.
- Identify vessel, purpose, spaces, tasks, drawings, point IDs and governing basis.
- State plane, height, orientation, grid rationale and any targeted non-grid point.
- List meter identity, calibration and field checks.
- Record supply, circuit, dimming, daylight, warm-up, fitting and obstruction condition.
- Show individual readings before average, minimum or uniformity calculations.
- Separate normal, emergency, duration and low-location-lighting results.
- Place the applicable criterion and edition beside the result it governs.
- State deviations, excluded points, uncertainty or repeatability limits and the conclusion affected.
- Record corrective action, matched-retest conditions and authorised reviewer.
Structured data and report statements must match the visible evidence. No supplier approval, class recognition, flag authorisation or guaranteed acceptance follows from a lux reading or a general standards reference.
Prepare credible lighting proof without inventing results.
Trigger and decision
Which space, task, complaint or acceptance need initiated the measurement?
Controlled baseline
Which grid, plane, supply, daylight, controls, fittings and meter formed the baseline?
Finding boundary
Which individual point or summary failed, and what remained outside scope?
Approved action
Which fitting, cleaning, aiming, control, obstruction or circuit change was authorised?
Matched verification
Which points and conditions were repeated, and what unavoidable differences were recorded?
Publication permission
Who approved disclosure, and which vessel, plans, values and images may be shown?
This is a blank structure, not a completed project. Do not publish a vessel name, customer, class society, flag, lux value, failure, corrective action, improvement percentage, testimonial or business outcome without contemporaneous evidence and written permission.
Prepare the grid and conditions before boarding.
Provide vessel particulars; spaces and task list; general arrangement or marked drawings; applicable criteria and edition; working-plane heights; normal and emergency supply arrangement; dimming and automatic-control settings; daylight restrictions; known failed or temporary fittings; scope for changeover or duration testing; LLL system details where separate work is required; witness route; access constraints; recent modifications; and report deadline.
Attendance in Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, the Middle East, wider Asia-Pacific or worldwide remains subject to access, safe test conditions, instrument movement and confirmed scope. No guaranteed mobilisation, office location, turnaround or acceptance is implied.
Use primary sources, then confirm the project rule.
- IEC 60092-306:2022 applies to luminaires and lighting accessories used in ships.
- Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended includes accommodation-lighting guidance and leaves suitable standards to the competent authority.
- IMO’s SOLAS overview explains that ship electrical installations must maintain safety-essential services under emergency conditions.
These sources establish broad requirements and equipment context. They do not replace the current flag, class, contract, approved drawing or vessel-specific acceptance basis for the space being measured.
Turn the checklist into a marked ship lux plan.
Send the spaces, drawings, visual tasks, criteria, supply arrangements and required decision. A point schedule, condition matrix, instrument plan and report evidence route can then be agreed before attendance.
Request an illumination scopeReview the illumination serviceReview low-location lighting