Office Environment
This domain examines the physical conditions that affect office workers - lighting, ventilation, temperature, humidity, noise, colour, cleanliness and ergonomics - and tests whether you can diagnose a faulty workplace and prescribe a correction.
Lighting
Prefer natural light but control glare. General office tasks are commonly planned at roughly 300–500 lux, with higher levels for detailed reading or drafting. Light should fall from the left for a right-handed writer, and screens should face away from windows.
Ventilation and thermal comfort
Fresh air and cross-ventilation reduce fatigue and headaches. Air-conditioned offices are usually maintained around 20–25°C with relative humidity near 40–60%; stale, recirculated air causes drowsiness and spreads infection.
Noise
Noise reduces concentration and accuracy. Control at three levels: at source (silent machines, rubber mountings), in transmission (partitions, acoustic tiles, carpets), at receiver (ear protection is a last resort). Sustained exposure at or above 85 dB is the usual hearing-protection threshold.
Colour and housekeeping
Light shades on walls and ceilings improve reflection; colour coding aids safety (red for fire equipment, green for exits). Clean floors, dustbins, pest control and tidy desks are part of the environment.
Ergonomics
Adjustable chairs with back support, feet flat or on a footrest, screen top at or slightly below eye level, wrists straight at the keyboard, and document holders reduce strain injuries.
Worked example
A clerk reports eye strain and afternoon headaches. Her desk faces a bright window, a tube-light flickers, and the screen reflects the window. Reasoning: the primary cause is glare, not weak eyesight. Prescribe: reposition the desk perpendicular to the window, fit blinds, replace the flickering tube and ballast, add a task lamp, and clean the screen. Recording the complaint and reviewing after two weeks completes the fix.
Traps
Assuming more light is always better; blaming the employee; confusing ventilation with air-conditioning; ignoring glare as a cause of strain.
Key points: glare control matters more than brightness; 300–500 lux is a typical planning figure; 85 dB is the hearing-protection threshold; humidity near 40–60%; ergonomics is preventive, not cosmetic.