Concern for inadequate exposure to physical factors in the working environment began in the mid 20th. Century. The subject has been widely studied in industrial nations, but in Central America there are few published studies, so we measured two environmental factors in a university press workshop in Costa Rica, from April 05 to 16, 2010, a period in which production is high. With a calibrated Extech HD450 light meter we did at least three measurements of light along the workday (considering changes in natural lighting). We selected the measurement points where certain illumination is needed for proper operation of industrial machinery. We also made 20 real-time measurements of noise with a certified Extech sound meter, in the offset press room, where there is noisy industrial machinery. We found inadequate noise and lighting levels, and concluded that staff are exposed to inappropriate health conditions, so we recommend the relocation of lamps and periodical audiometric tests
