BENEFITS office workers have signed a petition against new lighting which they say is affecting their eyesight.

And union bosses at the Warbreck House, Bispham site have accused DSS contractors of breaching health and safety guidelines by downgrading the lighting system.

They have accused contractors Trillium of failing to carry out proper consultations and risk assessments, claiming they were not even told about the planned changes to lighting at a meeting held just three days before work commenced, which they say is a clear breach of the law.

This says the union is the latest in an increasingly large catalogue of breaches of health and safety by Trillium which they have compiled over the years -- first printed in The Citizen two months ago.

Then we reported how union branch manager Duncan Griffiths said it was only a matter of time before someone was killed in an on site accident at the Norcross benefits office.

Work, which started in February, has now been halted on the installation of new lighting as staff say their health is being unduly affected.

Up to 40 workers have already signed a petition about the new lighting, claiming it is causing them headaches and eye problems. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) which represents some of the staff at the Warbreck office, say building guidelines have been ignored.

The "Category 2" lighting being installed is a European standard of lighting designed for "speculative offices" -- meaning empty offices which are yet to be sold.

Jonathan David works for CIBSE, the Chartered Institution of Building Services and says the lighting isn't designed for people to work under.

"It was never meant to be a standard for working and it does not provide good lighting -- it's gloomy.

"Too little light bouncing off the walls means that except on objects immediately under the lighting the room is dim."

Duncan Grifiths, PCS branch manager says this is an issue that has been ignored by Trillium.

"It is important for the lighting that the surfaces it illuminates have a certain degree of reflectivity.

"With the dark carpets and the standard grey walls it is just not bright enough with the new lighting."

A spokesperson for the DSS said they had apologised to PCS for failing to give them adequate notice of the date the work was due to start, but said that they were not in breach of health and safety guidelines.

She added: "The CIBSE guidelines for Category 2 lighting clearly state it is suitable for use in rooms that contain many VDUs which is the case at Warbreck House."