Keane – I am answering as a long time dark room user – much of my dissertation was done in the dark (yes – you can run w/ that!).  The simple answer is no more light than the most sensitive media will tolerate.  For me, that was total black much of the time.  When I was working with some IR film, my body heat acted as a black body radiator and would fog the film if I was not very careful… in total blackness.

So, for the safety professional, the question should be what light can your media tolerate and then, figure out how to make the task safe.  Most zero light operations are very short; red light (40 watts or so) usually is OK at other times.  So, how do you minimize the hazards during zero light operations and how do you minimize the operating time?

As I often say … our job in safety is to make the task happen, SAFELY; not to interfere with the work…

Neal

Hi folks,

Can anyone point me to a standard that defines the minimum lighting requirements for photographic processing areas?

Thanks

-Keane

"Individual commitment to a group effort--that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." -Vince Lombardi

Keane Leitch, MPS, CCHO, RBP

Safety Manager

Physical Sciences Facilities Management

121 baker Lab

Ithaca, NY 14850

607-255-8773 (Office)

607-255-4137 (Fax)

607-592-7079 (Mobile)

Keane.Leitch**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu/ kjl44**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu