32

Principle 4
Work at Proper Heights
A common workplace problem is a mismatch in heights between
employees and the work that they are doing. This leads to poor
postures and related fatigue, discomfort, and potential damage to
soft tissue. Moreover, awkward heights quite often create
unnecessarily harder work and decrease the ability to perform the
task correctly.
Proper height depends on the nature of the task. Once again,
this principle is often redundant with posture. If the postures are
correct, then generally the heights are correct. However, exertion is
also affected by height, and not always in correlation with neutral
postures. Other task issues can also affect the best working height,
so, in practice, identifying the best height for a workstation may not
be clear-cut. Indeed, it may not be possible to create ideal heights
and some judgments may need to be made to find the best
compromise (this can also be true for the other principles and, in
fact, for every type of engineering and design). Nonetheless, a
number of rules provide guidance in optimizing heights of
equipment.

The first priority is to avoid extremes.
Generally, working at about elbow height is
optimal.
General Rules
Avoid extremes—Many times, when it is not
practical to design every height to be optimal, it
may be feasible at least to avoid the extremes; that
is, avoid working below knee level or above the
shoulders. For example, racks can often be modified
by removing or blocking off the extremely high
and low rungs. The same is true for carts, shelving,
and other similar equipment. Fixed-height stands
at about knee level can provide a low-cost way to
avoid working at extremely low levels.
Design for elbow height—Generally, work is best
done at about elbow height, whether sitting or
standing. This is true for computer keyboards as
well as other kinds of work in manufacturing and
assembly.
Note that it is the work itself that should be at
elbow height, not necessarily the work surface. For
example, if unusually large products are being used,
the heights of conveyors and other work surfaces
should be adjusted accordingly. The issue is the
height of the task being done, not the height of the
work surface.

© 2000 by Dan MacLeod

 Principles of Ergonomics
Heavier work may be best performed lower than
elbow height; precision work higher.
Platforms on the work surface can accommodate
tall people; platforms on the floor, shorter people.
© 2000 by Dan MacLeod
33
Consider the exceptions—The nature of the work
also affects the proper height. Heavier work,
requiring upper body strength, should be lower than
elbow height. Lighter work, such as precision work
or inspection tasks, should be higher.
Consequently, the nature of the task must be
taken into account when designing proper heights.
It is not always sufficient to look up a height
dimension in a table of numbers or just to apply a
common rule of thumb.
Adjustable heights
Because people vary in height, good design usually
involves providing some sort of height adjustment.
There are a variety of ways to meet this need.
Best: Change the work surface—When possible,
the best approach is to adjust the height of the work
surface itself. It is easiest when only one person uses
a particular workstation. That workstation can then
be adjusted once for that person, for example, by
lengthening or shortening the legs of a workbench.
If several people use the same workstation, it
becomes more difficult. Placing some sort of a
simple riser or platform on the work surface can
sometimes accommodate taller people.
A more elaborate, but increasingly common
option is to use adjustable workbenches. These can
either be adjusted manually by use of a crank or
they can be powered and push-button controlled.
A huge variety of adjustable equipment has
come onto the market in recent years. Each type
has its advantages in specific situations, so with
careful selection, good solutions can be found for
many needs.
Second best: Stand on platforms—When
working on machines, conveyor lines, and other
large pieces of equipment, it usually is impossible
to raise and lower the work. The alternative, then,
is to raise and lower the operator. This concept has
the disadvantage of creating congestion and even
a potential tripping or falling hazard. Nonetheless,
standing platforms may be the only option and they
have worked exceedingly well in many facilities.
Platforms can be something brought over from
a storage spot when needed, or even be a type that
can be pulled out or flipped down from under the
34
Powered adjustable worktables and platforms are
becoming increasingly common.
Example of retrofitted tool extender.
Height differences in equipment can create
unnecessary work.
© 2000 by Dan MacLeod
work station. Alternatively, the platform can be
powered for ease of adjustment.
Set heights for tall people—If standing platforms
are used, then the usual approach is to design for
the tall person and provide platforms for shorter
people. The rationale is that is it feasible to raise
shorter people up, but difficult to lower tall people
below floor level.
Sitting adjustments—For sitting work, adjusting
the chair height can often suffice as a way to achieve
appropriate heights. However, it is important to
make sure there are sufficiently adjustable and
sturdy footrests in this case. There are two reasons
for doing so: (a) taller stools can be difficult to access
and thus sturdy footrests are needed as a type of
step, and (b) when a chair is raised to a high position,
footrests are crucial to prevent pressure points from
occurring behind the knees (see the later principle
on pressure points). Note that it is best to mount
the footrests on the machine or workbench itself
and not rely solely on any foot rings on a chair.
Tilt the work surface—Tilting a work surface
sometimes enables working at elbow height, while
simultaneously making it easier to see. Drafting
tables are a prime example of this concept.
Use tool extenders—The floor is an extremely
awkward height from which to work. Long-handled
tools are a common way to solve this problem. In
some cases, it is possible to use tool extenders.
Equalize height relationships—All of the
preceding examples have to do with the relationship
between the person and the task, and, as mentioned
earlier, are based on the principles of working in
neutral postures and reducing exertion. Another
category of height relationships, however, is within
the equipment itself. The reasons for eliminating
these mismatches in heights are to reduce
unnecessary motions and needless lifting.
An example of this mismatch is when a product
must be lifted over a lip or from one level to another.
In these situations adjusting the heights can make
the work a lot easier by putting locations in closer
proximity to each other, even to the point where
items can be slid rather than lifted.
 Principles of Ergonomics 35

Case Example

A good way to supply parts to
assemblers is to use chutes and
hoppers (see previous principle).
However, this can create a height
problem in supplying parts to the
hoppers.
A good improvement is to build
platforms to raise up the parts
suppliers. However, this creates
steps that need to be climbed
regularly.
A better improvement is to install
raised floors and then convey boxes
of parts in at these elevations. Thus,
both the height and the step
problems are eliminated.

Adjustable height is not necessarily a new

concept. In fact, it has been a tradition for barbers
and hairdressers. This standard adjustable-
design barber chair probably stems from quality
and safety issues involved with straight blade
shaving. A barber working at an awkward height
can easily become more fatigued, resulting in
less control over motions and increasing the
probability of “errors”. With a razor blade at the
customer’s neck, an “error” of this type could
be fatal. Thus, for quality control and meeting
customer requirements and expectations,
barbers learned the importance of optimizing
heights some hundred years ago.

© 2000 by Dan MacLeod