BS 3044:1990

Committees responsible
Foreword
Guide
Section 1. General
1 Scope
2 Definitions
3 General
Section 2. Guidelines for purchasers
4 General
5 Defining task requirements
6 Relating furniture to workplace requirements
7 User trials
Section 3. Guidelines for designers
8 General
9 Task analysis
10 People
11 Furniture
12 Ergonomic design
13 Design trials
Appendices
A Suggested check list of stages in selection of
    office furniture
B Suggested check list of stages in a design project
Tables
1 Typical task component requirements in relation to
    office jobs
2 List of task characteristics, environmental and
    personal factors
3 Selected allowances for use with anthropometric data
Figures
1 Gaussian (normal) curve
2 Common posture when writing
3 Influence of desk layout on posture
4 Main dimensions for seat/desk design
5 Some awkward postures in auxiliary tasks in office
    work
6 Graph showing how to approximate ranges from
    combined populations

Gives guidance on the ergonomics principles important in the design and selection of office furniture to enable both purchasers and designers to understand and use ergonomics information in their work. Indicates how designers and purchasers can ensure that the needs of end-users are paramount in creating places where work can be carried out comfortably and efficiently. Includes suggested check lists of stages in selection of office furniture and in a design project. Illustrates gaussian curve, common posture when writing, influence of desk layout in posture, main dimensions for seat/desk design, some awkward postures in auxiliary tasks in office work and graph showing how to approximate ranges from combined populations.

This British Standard provides guidance on the ergonomics principles important in the design and selection of office furniture to ensure that it will avoid any undue strain on the user. The approach taken has been to provide the information necessary to give a general framework which will enable both purchasers and designers to understand and use ergonomics information applied to their work. The standard does not provide a fixed set of prescriptive rules and, as a consequence, does not include detailed dimensional recommendations: such details are given in BS EN 527-1 and BS EN 1335-1 and BS EN ISO 9241-2. The standard indicates how designers and purchasers can ensure that the needs of the end-user are at the centre of their decisions, thus creating a situation where work can be carried out comfortably and efficiently. NOTE The titles of publications referred to in this standard are listed on the inside back cover.