6Ws in Ergonomics Workplace Design

Justine M. Y. Chim(&)

Chim’s Ergonomics and Safety Limited,

17/F, No. 80 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China
jchim@my-ergonomics.com

Abstract. A workplace should have good consideration of ergonomics in the

design which can prevent musculoskeletal discomfort, improve productivity and
work efficiency, reduce production costs and optimize human well-being. This
paper aims to summarize the six aspects of applying ergonomics principles in
workplace design. This paper will answer the following questions: (1) Why
should ergonomics principles be used in workplace design? (2) Who should be
consulted and considered in workplace design? (3) When should ergonomics
principles be used in workplace design? (4) Where should ergonomics be
applied in workplace design? (5) How should ergonomics be used in workplace
design? (6) What are the ergonomics principles in workplace design? Workplace
design should consider the full spectrum of user groups with different physical
and psychological needs. Ergonomics should be considered well in the design
stage and the pre-occupant and post-occupant inspections should be used to
evaluate the actual environment. The design should consider both the work and
non-work area in the workplace including the design of workstations, staff
facilities, tools and work environment. Accommodation of special needs users
should be well-considered. Staff consultation with all relevant parties should be
organized in the design stage for collecting the opinions of the staff. A good
workplace design can enhance employees’ satisfaction and well-being. The
environmental comfort model has three levels of comfort: (a) physical comfort;
(b) functional comfort; and (c) psychological comfort. In addition, good envi-
ronmental quality will create a higher quality of employees’ work life and
ultimately will have a positive effect on employees’ well-being and quality of
life. In conclusion, ergonomic workplace design can facilitate occupational
safety and health, work efficiency and employee well-being.

Keywords: Ergonomics
Ergonomics workplace design
Workplace comfort

Workspace
Employees’ work life
Prevent musculoskeletal disorders

1 Introduction

Ergonomics is a human-centered approach to understand the interactions among

humans and other components of a system. A workplace with good consideration of
ergonomics in the design can prevent musculoskeletal discomfort, improve produc-
tivity and work efficiency, reduce production costs and optimize human well-being.

J. M. Y. Chim—CPE & RSO, Director and Principal Consultant.

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

S. Bagnara et al. (Eds.): IEA 2018, AISC 824, pp. 1282–1286, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96071-5_129
 6Ws in Ergonomics Workplace Design 1283

In Hong Kong, according to Chapter 509, Occupational Safety and Health Ordi-
nance, workplace means the place where employees work which includes both work
and non-work areas in the workplace. A good workplace design can reduce the
fatalities and injuries rate. Hong Kong has been ranked as the world’s most expensive
office space for 2013 to 2017 among 58 countries in the survey. Due to the high office
rental cost, companies are moving to hot-desking office space arrangement such that no
fixed workstation is assigned to each employee [1]. A well-designed workplace in
Hong Kong will not only benefit employees and the company, but also the company
can utilize the financial resources resulting from the lowering of rental expenses.

2 Aims

The paper aims to summarize the findings of six aspects of applying ergonomics in
workplace design. This paper will answer the following questions: (1) Why should
ergonomics principles be used in workplace design? (2) Who should be consulted and
considered in workplace design? (3) When should ergonomics principles be used in
workplace design? (4) Where should ergonomics be applied in workplace design?
(5) How should ergonomics be used in workplace design? (6) What are the ergonomics
principles in workplace design?

3 Discussion

3.1 Why Should Ergonomics Principles Be Used in Workplace Design?

There are so many benefits of using ergonomics in workplace design. An ergonomic
workplace design approach results in many benefits, including the prevention of injury
and disease such as the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, neck
and shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. by minimizing the physical workload
of the working person. A good workplace can reduce the risk of musculoskeletal
injuries. There is interdependence among the workplace components, the working
person, the task requirements, the environment, and the habitual body movements and
postures that working persons adopt [2].
A friendly designed workplace also can improve the usability of products, equip-
ment, systems and facilities which facilitates task execution and efficiency and achieves
ease of use of the various workplace elements. It is not hard to understand that an
ergonomic workplace design will ultimately improve productivity and reduce the
production costs with a better prediction and management of production and opera-
tional costs over the lifecycle of a product.
Importantly, employers are also legally responsible for their compliance with local
occupational safety and health legislation and an ergonomic and safer workplace
creates good employee wellness. If a company is committed to creating a safe and
healthy work culture, it will lead to creating better human performance and employees’
well-being. Ultimately, business success is correlated to the reasons as mentioned
above.
1284 J. M. Y. Chim

3.2 Who Should Be Consulted and Considered in Workplace Design?

When designing a workplace, in addition to the usual and normal users of the work-
place, we also need to consider the full spectrum of user groups with the following
special needs:
(a) Wheelchair users; (b) Left-handed as well as right-handed people; (c) Anthro-
pometric extremes, such as a pregnant women; obese persons; adults who are outside
the 5th to 95th percentile body build; (d) people with disabilities/during rehabilitation,
such as having hands that are weak or painful; inability to reach far, bend or twist
without discomfort or pain; impaired vision or hearing and mental disabilities.
A good and ergonomic workplace should be designed with consideration of the
physical and mental conditions of potential user groups. Reasonable accommodation
should be facilitated to special needs user groups as well as their team members,
supervisors and coworkers.

3.3 When Should Ergonomics Principles Be Used in Workplace Design?

Ergonomics should be considered starting from the design stage. To effectively reduce
the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, companies should consider the risk factors of
musculoskeletal disorders in relation to operation, cleaning, maintenance, and
machinery parts assembly in different stages. It is important to make every effort to
consider ergonomics at the design stage and take into account the feedback from
operators/users and review past injury records in relation to the workplace design, task
requirements, workplace components, work environment and the body movement and
postures of the persons working in such workplace setting.
Workplace design evaluation is part of the manual handling risk management and
injury management process. The workplace design should be re-evaluated on a regular
basis to ensure that new hazards can be identified. In terms of risk management, it is
important to avoid any control in place which creates another risk or introduces new
hazards. Modification may be needed from time to time to allow new technology to be
installed and new employees may have different physical and mental needs.

3.4 Where Should Ergonomics Be Applied in Workplace Design?

Ergonomics principles should be applied in the design of the workplace including both
work and non-work areas. It includes the overall workplace layout, workstation design,
seating, conveyor, storeroom, breakout area, canteen, restroom, gym room as well as
the facilities such as ventilation system, lighting, sound insulation and windows. In
addition, the entrance, exit, emergency facilities as well as any surrounding areas in the
workplace premises should apply ergonomics in their design.

3.5 How Should Ergonomics Be Used in Workplace Design?

According to the research article of the FITS Model office ergonomics program [3], “F”
is the Furniture Evaluation and Selection element. A good workplace design should
 6Ws in Ergonomics Workplace Design 1285

have suitable furniture according to the tasks performed at the workstation, tools uses,
user’s specifications and work environment.
For instance, a person’s body movement and posture when using a computer in the
office depend largely on the task requirements, furniture specifications, workstation
settings, and the person themselves. A combination of furniture and equipment options
such as adjustable chairs, desks, computer mouse, and adjustable height monitor are
suggested; the working posture of the user can be accommodated only when the
selected furniture and equipment are appropriate for the task and user group.
For instance, the anthropometric data of user groups should be defined in the
furniture evaluation and selection process. The evaluation and selection normally
includes an ergonomics task review, ergonomic assessment, user evaluation, and an
employee-furniture-workstation fit evaluation.
Furniture comfort and suitability are influenced by the task as well as the furniture
specifications. In order to select suitable furniture, office equipment, and computer
accessories, an ergonomist should be invited to conduct an evaluation before the
products are purchased. The overall workstation setup should be considered when
purchasing new furniture or equipment for the workplace or replacing existing mate-
rials. This evaluation is a continuous process and a furniture standard can be developed
to provide a useful guideline for office administrators when making appropriate
selections and confirming the workplace design. Good communication with workplace
designers, ergonomists, the administration department, human resources department
and facilities management department is needed [3].

3.6 What Are the Ergonomics Principles in Workplace Design?

An ergonomic workplace should promote employees’ satisfaction and well-being.
Viser (2008) developed the environmental comfort model of workspace quality, and
there are three levels of comfort: (a) Physical Comfort; (b) Functional Comfort; and
(c) Psychological Comfort [4].
(a) Physical comfort is defined as basic human needs such as safety, hygiene and
accessibility, which must be assured usually through applying existing building
codes and standards which consider the thermal comfort, relative humidity, air
speed and freshness for ventilation comfort as well as brightness and contrast
condition for lighting comfort. For instance, in Hong Kong, the Indoor Air Quality
(IAQ) Certification Scheme has been launched which aims to promote public
awareness of the importance of IAQ and the program is to launch a voluntary IAQ
Certification Scheme for offices and public places. Good IAQ offices can enhance
the comfort level of the occupants and increase the productivity of employees.
(b) Functional comfort is defined as environmental support for users’ performance of
work-related tasks and activities. In terms of the building system, functional
comfort includes the dimensions of air quality, thermal comfort and noise. Func-
tional comfort in a building’s interior considers the spatial/workstation comfort,
privacy, noise from people, lighting quality and daylighting. The benefits of
functional comfort include the promotion of functional and productivity
enhancement in the workplace by facilitating work flow and task requirements.
1286 J. M. Y. Chim

It can also support individual, team and cross team efficiency by good cooperation
within and between the team and external persons.
(c) Psychological comfort is defined as feelings of belonging, ownership and control
over the workspace. Psychological comfort is the highest level of comfort in the
environmental comfort model of workspace quality [4]. An ergonomic workplace
can create psychological comfort such that users can have a good sense of territory
in the provided workspace. If employees are invited to participate in the design
process, users can have stronger feelings of belonging and ownership of the
workplace by creating stronger environmental empowerment.

4 Conclusion

A good workplace design should consider the ergonomics principles which can fit the
full spectrum of user groups. Ergonomics design principles should be applied starting
from the design stage and they help to effectively reduce the risk of musculoskeletal
injuries and to create a healthy workplace environment. The ergonomics concepts
should be used in the design of work and non-work areas. Furniture evaluation and
selection by an ergonomist with user groups in mind can assist the procurement
decisions and reduce the cost of replacing unsuitable furniture and compensating staff
for injuries due to non-ergonomic workplace design. It is important to note that an
ergonomic workplace should promote employees’ satisfaction and well-being. Three
levels of comfort are considered: physical comfort, functional comfort and psycho-
logical comfort. In order to create an ergonomic workplace, staff consultation should be
included in all design stages as their own experiences can provide useful feedback in
the process.

Acknowledgement. This work was supported by Chim’s Ergonomics and Safety Limited. The
paper was prepared by considering the real case experience from working with clients in
workplace design and applies the ergo0nomics principles in the whole design process.

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