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htm

What is workspace?

Workspace is the space within which you perform the

tasks that add up to your job. If you were cooking
dinner (unlikely!), your workspace would be the area
in the kitchen around the fridge, cooker and sink.
While you are reading this, your workspace includes
your desk and chair and the area immediately around
them.

Physical design of a workspace includes working out

how much space needed, and positioning of furniture,
tools, equipment and any other items needed to
perform the tasks, in respect of posture, access,
clearance, reach and vision of the user.

A poorly designed workspace, or a bad arrangement

of furniture or equipment, may result in injuries and
strains due to adoption of uncomfortable working
postures, less 'spare' capacity to deal with
unexpected events or emergencies, the increased
possibility of errors or accidents, and inefficiency (the
dinner takes longer to cook if your kitchen is badly
organised!)

Workspace factors

You should find the answers to the following questions when designing workspaces:

What type of task will be carried out and what specific actions are to be
used to complete the task?

Will the potential users of the workspace (your user population) be seated
or standing?

What postures will the users have to adopt?

What are the relevant body dimensions of the users? These dimensions can
be found in anthropometric tables. (Read the anthropometry topic for more
information.)

Do you need to design using minimum, average or maximum dimensions?

How far can the users reach, horizontally and vertically?

What are the visual aspects of the task?

It may also be necessary to consider factors such as how long the task will take,
the environmental conditions that the task is performed under (lighting,
temperature, noise levels), and the experience that the users have of performing
the task.

Body dimensions

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Using anthropometric data Designing for adjustability

People vary both in their body dimensions and
proportions. Body size varies with age, gender,
nationality, ethnic origin, occupation (as people of a
certain size are often more suited to certain
occupations, for example, truck drivers tend to be
larger males), as well as other factors such as body
type (muscular, thin etc) and disability. It is critical
that when you are designing for a specific group, you
must use workspace data that is specific to them. In
general, this tends to be a broad spectrum of users.
However, a workspace may be designed to be used
by a restricted group of users, for example, drivers of
fire fighting vehicles (mainly male, 30-50 years old),
or be designed to be used by the majority of the
adult population, for example, drivers of private cars
(both male and female, 17-70+ years old).
Allowances should also be made if special clothing or
personal protective equipment, such a hard hats or
gloves, needs to be worn. These may restrict motion
and reach in certain directions, or require greater
clearances, for example, people who need to wear
boots will need more foot room.
Designing for the 'average'
It is important to realise that there is no 'average'
individual. You may be 'average' for one or two body
dimensions, say arm length and height, but generally
that is all. Designing for the average user is often
seen as bad design, as it only accommodates 50% of
a population, however, there are a few cases where it
is appropriate. Designing for the extreme or with
maximum adjustability may not be practical, and
designing for the 50th percentile may be the only way
to reach a compromise with other design factors, for
example, cost, time and space. An example is the
counter height on a supermarket checkout. This is
designed for the 50th% percentile because it is
important for it not to be too high OR too low, and
because adjustability is not feasible.
Wherever possible, it is best to design adjustability into any
workspace. An example is the interior of a car, where the driver's seat
has height adjustment, and forwards and backwards adjustment, to
comfortably fit as many users as possible.
For an adjustable range, we generally use:
- 5th percentile female for the lower limit,
- 95th percentile male for the upper limit.
Designing for extreme individuals
In some situations a specific dimension of a workspace layout
becomes the limiting factor that may restrict the use of the workspace
for some people. This limiting factor can either be designed for the
minimum or maximum value for a population, depending upon what is
required.
You should design for the minimum population when
the minimum value (lowest) of the feature has to
accommodate all users. For example, controls
should be within reach of the smallest operator.
You should design for the maximum population
when the maximum value (highest) of a feature has
to accommodate all users. For example, the height
of a doorway should allow all users to pass through
without stooping or banging their head!
It is not usually practical to design layouts for all
users (100%), so when setting the dimensions for a
workspace layout use:
- 5th percentile female for minimum values,
- 95th percentile male for maximum values.

Reach - the workspace envelope

A 'workspace envelope' is a 3-dimensional space within which you carry out physical work activities when you are at a
fixed location. The limits of the envelope are determined by your functional arm reach which, in turn, is influenced by
the direction of reach and the nature of the task being performed. Most of the things that you need to use to carry out
your tasks should be arranged within this area. Workspace envelopes should be designed for the 5th percentile of the
user population, which means that 95% of users will be able to reach everything placed within the envelope.

Seated workspace Standing workspace

In general, the maximum work area is the area within
comfortable reach of your extended arm, while the
normal work area is within the limits of a comfortable
sweeping movement of your arm, with your elbow bent
at a right angle or less. You should also consider any
potential restraint caused by clothing that you might
have to wear, as well as personal factors such as age,
gender (women have greater flexibility than men), and
any disabilities.
The type of task being performed also affects the
boundary of the workspace envelope. For tasks that
require the activation of a switch, it is common to use
anthropometric measurements from the fingertip reach
The limit of the workspace envelope for a standing user
can be seen as the space in which an object can be
reached and gripped comfortably, when you are standing
up straight.
Your arms and hands are most powerful when your
elbows are close to your sides and bent at right angles or
more, that is, extended slightly. The work surface should
allow this kind of posture for manual work requiring
strength.
For precise, fine work, as well as for writing, drawing and
reading, the work surface should be higher so that the
elbows can be rested on it. This will also bring the work

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of the users to set the envelope boundary. However, closer to your eyes.
where a grasping action is involved, the reach of the user
is reduced as your fist has to be clenched.

Anthropometric estimates for British adults Anthropometric estimates for British adults
aged 19-65 years (in mm, from Pheasant) aged 19-65 years (in mm, from Pheasant)
Dimension 5th %ile 50th %ile 95th %ile Dimension 5th %ile 50th %ile 95th %ile
A Max head height - - 1450 A Standing height 1625 1740 1855
660 710 760 (stature) 1505 1610 1710
B Work surface height
635 685 735 1515 1630 1745
B Eye height
C Shoulder-grip length 610 665 715 1405 1505 1610
(max working limit) 555 600 650 1005 1090 1180
C Elbow height
D Elbow-fingertip length 440 475 510 930 1005 1085
(normal working limit) 400 430 460
E Sitting eye height 735 790 845 MALE FEMALE
(above seat surface) 685 740 795

MALE FEMALE
For seating dimensions, see the seating topic.

Some general principles for seated work: Some general principles for standing work:

Working with relaxed upper arms and elbows at For work that requires the application of force
approximately 90° provides comfort and helps from the shoulder and back muscles, the work
maintain straight wrists, which reduces the strain surface should be about 100-250mm lower than
of repetitive tasks. the level of the elbows.

Adjustable height work surfaces allow each user
to fit the work surface to their own needs. If this
is not possible, fix the work surface height to be
at a level that places the working item, for
example, a keyboard, at elbow height.
Make sure that there is adequate clearance for
your thighs under the work surface.
Small users whose feet do not touch the floor
when seated should have a footrest.
For fine work, requiring better visibility, the work
surface can be raised, but elbow support must be
provided.
For normal tasks that do not require much
strength, the worktop should be about elbow
height or just below.
For precision work, the work surface should be
about 50-100mm above elbow height.
Precision work should preferably be done sitting,
when the back muscles should be supported and
relieved by suitable seating and elbow support.
The provision of high stools allow users to
alternate between a standing and a 'perched'
position.
Adjustable height work surfaces allow each user
to fit the work surface to their own needs. If this
is not possible, design for the largest user, and

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supply platforms to those that are smaller.

Maximum vertical and horizontal reach

Vertical reach is limited by how far you can reach and grasp objects above or below your shoulder height without
stretching or bending. Measurement of vertical reach is taken from the surface of your shoulder to the centre of your
closed hand (or extended middle finger for button operation). Height of reach is used when positioning shelves for
storage, handles or controls above head height.

Horizontal reach is measured in the same way, but about the horizontal plane.

Visual workspace

We alter our direction of gaze by moving our eyeballs within their sockets and by moving our head.
It is good to have some movement of the head during work in order not to tire the neck muscles.
The head is supported by the effort of the muscles in the neck. If you hold your head still, you
muscles are doing static work, that is, they are working continuously with no breaks to rest. This is
more tiring than if you move your head, when the muscles are doing dynamic work, and muscles
groups get a chance to rest as others take over. Therefore, the visual aspects of the workplace
should be arranged to cause the lowest level of static work by the neck muscles.

You should aim to position frequently viewed

items within a comfortable zone in front of
you. This is normally within 15° above, or
30° below, the horizontal, and 15° to the
left and right. In the normal, relaxed position
of the head, neck and eyes, the line of sight
is about 10 to 15° below the horizontal,
therefore, viewing horizontally straight
ahead actually requires a small amount of
effort.

Distance is also a factor in visual fatigue. Visual displays are comfortably

viewed from 500-750mm or more, depending on the size of the display
components. The lens of the eye stiffens as people get older, altering the
distance at which they can easily focus, so objects need to be positioned further away for clear
viewing. They also take longer to focus on things (it will happen to you one day!).

Access Clearance

When you are designing a workspace, you must

also remember that you need access to it and to
be able to move around within it. For example, you
need to allow at least 600mm width for a person to
walk normally down a corridor, and 1200mm for
two people to pass side by side. You should allow
1200mm from the front edge of a desk to push a
chair back and stand up, with no restrictions.
The space that you need to move
around freely in can often be more
than you think. Try standing with
your back against a wall and bend
forwards. You won't be able to bend far before you
start to fall forwards, as your centre of gravity falls
outside the area of your feet. You need to move
away from the wall to allow yourself to move your
bottom backwards to counterbalance the weight of
your upper body. How far do you need to stand
away from the wall before you can bend over
without restriction? Is it further than you thought?
Sometimes people have to work in, move through,
or access restricted areas, for example, for
maintenance work. Clearance can be seen as the
minimum distance required to allow the desired
user group into, or through, an area. This is
especially crucial for the design of features such as
escape hatches and emergency exits. Some
examples are:
The minimum vertical space between the
floor and an overhead obstruction must
allow for the tallest user plus their footwear
and headgear.
The minimum horizontal space between
two obstructions must allow for the widest
user plus room for movement and
equipment.
A hazard must be beyond the reach of the

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user with the longest arm, if there is no

room to bend.

Grille openings in front of a hazard must

not allow reach to the hazard by the user
with the longest or thinnest finger.

Working out how much total space you need

Legal requirements for
Guidance on the Workplace Regulations states that workspaces
work rooms should have enough free space to allow
people to get to and from workstations and to move The main set of UK
within the room easily. The number of people that regulations concerning
may work in any particular room at any one time depends not only on workspaces are the
the size of the room, but on the space taken up by furniture, fittings, Workplace (Health, Safety &
equipment, and on the layout of the room. The total volume of the Welfare) Regulations 1992.
room, when empty, divided by the number of people normally Specific ergonomic standards
working in it should be at least 11 cubic metres. In making this include ISO 9241 Ergonomic
calculation, a room or part of a room which is more than 3.0m high requirements for office work
should be counted as 3.0m high. Can you work out how much room with visual display terminals,
you each have in your classroom (don't forget to include your and ISO 11064 Ergonomic
teacher)? What is the maximum number of people that your design of control centres.
classroom could accommodate comfortably according to these
calculations?

Guidelines for the design of workspaces

Encourage a frequent change in posture

People involved in seated work should be encouraged to change posture and sit in a
variety of positions. Most modern office chairs help to promote this sort of behaviour.
For industrial tasks, 'sit-stand' workspaces are advisable, whereby the task is set at a
height that is suitable for standing at, but a high stool is also provided for support.

Avoid forward bending of head and trunk

This is common during visual tasks, and where the work surface is too low. For fine
visual work, consider sloping the worksurface towards you.

Avoid causing the arms to be held in a raised position

This is common where the work surface is too high, or the seating is too low. If, usually
for visual reasons, the task should be performed in a raised position, then elbow support
should be provided. A lack of support leads to stress on the shoulder muscles, and an
extra circulatory burden on the heart.

Avoid twisted and asymmetrical positions

These are most common when displays or controls are poorly located. Frequently used
items should be placed centrally between waist and shoulder height to reduce the need to
bend or twist to reach.

Avoid postures that require a joint to be used for long periods of time at the limit
of its range of motion
This is particularly important for the wrist and forearm. Make sure that items that are
often used are within easy reach.

Provide adequate back support for all seats

If, due to operational reasons, the user is not using the back support, it should still
be provided in order to give support during rest periods.

Where muscular force must be exerted the limbs should be in a position of

greatest strength
The muscles and joints work best when they are in the mid-third of their range.
Position items so that the arms can be used in this way.

Test your workspace layouts

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Make sure that you have designed the workspace well by trying it out on a range
of users performing relevant tasks.

Workspace FAQs

Q. How can I use ergonomics when designing an internet cafe? Answer

Q. I'm doing a project on schools desks for 6 to 8 year olds. What are the basic specifications on
this? Answer

Q. Is a knowledge of ergonomics a prerequisite for successful plant layout? Answer

Q. Where can I find information about about the optimum amount of living space needed, or
recommended when designing houses and room layouts? Answer

Q. I am interested in applying ergonomics in my classroom. I bought some coloured and mobile

furniture for my classroom, so the kids can move and arrange it in different ways. Could you please
help me with some ideas regarding this problem? I would also like to use ergonomics to stimulate
kids imagination and to ease the process of learning. Answer

Q. I'm interested in ergonomics in hotels for my master thesis. In Italy there aren't reports in this
subject. What could you suggest to me? Answer

Q. What kind of ergonomics would I use in the kitchen? Answer

Q. Why is it important to have a ergonomically friendly school? Answer

Q. Can soldiers in tanks go to the toilet anywhere without getting out? My teacher thought they
would not think about going during a battle but I thought they might. Answer

Q. I am designing a bar and would like any information about the ergonomics of comfortable leaning
(as in when leaning on a bar). Answer

Reference
Pheasant, S (1998) Bodyspace. Anthropometry, Ergonomics and the Design of Work. (2nd Ed.)
London: Taylor & Francis ISBN 0748403264

Acknowledgments
Content: Samantha Porter & Shayal Chhibber
Images: IMSI's MasterClips Collection

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