Applied anthropometry for common industrial settings design: Working and ideal manual handling heights

Abstract

Anthropometry has been used extensively for designing safe and sustainable products and workplaces. However, it is common that designers need straightforward guidelines and dimensions, which they often lack, for specific design situations. Anthropometric data are usually presented in tables that summarize percentile values, separated by gender, of a specific population, which makes it difficult for designers to generate applications for mixed populations, such as industrial settings. Using a recently collected anthropometric database of Chilean workers (male and female), international standards of dimensions for working height, depth, and ideal manual handling height are tested with univariate and bivariate methods. Alternative dimensions are presented for both adjustable and non-adjustable designs. Additionally, procedures to combine samples, and for knowing how many users match with a particular design are explained using the sample data. As expected, adjustable designs proved to match with higher numbers of users, while non-adjustable dimensions recommended by ISO presented low levels of matching. Furthermore, the non-adjustable design achieved 83% of matching, which increased to the desired levels (90%) with the inclusion of a 50 mm increase platform. Finally, the Z-Score equation proved to be a useful tool to know the percentages of the population that are matched with a particular design dimension. Relevance for the industry: Dimensions for working height, depth, and ideal manual handling heights, which are currently not available, are provided for Chilean workers. A method to determine the matching percentage in a population is explained, in order to assess matching probabilities when having only summarized anthropometric tables and the dimensions for the design itself.

stature estimation from students’ forearm and hand length in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

“…15 Consequently, anthropometric indexes can provide supportive information for designing of equipment. 16 In conclusion, our results showed that there is a statistically significant correlation among stature, forearm, and hand length for students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Furthermore, the forearm length is a more predictive factor than hand length in stature estimation.…”

Desain Perbaikan Postur Kerja Operator Maintenance Pada Pt Minindo Menggunakan Software Solidwork Dengan Pendekatan Antropometri

“…Perbaikan desain kursi pernah dilakukan, dalam penelitiannya menggunakan data antropometri untuk menentukan kisaran ketinggian, kedalaman, dan sudut sandaran [22]. Menerapkan antropometri ke dalam desain dapat membantu meningkatkan produktivitas dan efisiensi [23]. Adapun beberapa rumus pengujian yang dilakukan dalam penenelitian ini sebagai berikut:…”

Occupational Safety and Health for Adult Saudi Arabian Women: Utilizing National Anthropometric Data

“…The recent literature has extensively explored women’s anthropometry in the context of minimizing adverse occupational health outcomes. Studies such as [ 16 ] have focused on addressing the mismatch of workplace height for manual handling, utilizing female anthropometric measures to reduce musculoskeletal disorders. The design of manual tools for various occupations, including farming [ 17 ], hand looming [ 18 ], dentistry [ 19 ], and packaging [ 20 ], has integrated women’s anthropometry to mitigate fatigue and biomechanical stresses.…”