Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Floor temperature. When wearing normal shoes, ASHRAE recommends 23
8
C for standing and
walking but 25
C for sedentary standing. Heavy carpet will save about 1% of the total energy used to
heat the building (Hager, 1977).
Floor comfort. Teitelman et al. (1990) reported preterm births occurred more often (7.7%) when
women had jobs with prolonged standing; the rate for sitting jobs was 4.2% and for active jobs
was 2.8%. There are four alternatives: (1) replace standing with sitting; (2) supplement static
standing with occasional walking; (3) shift posture while standing; and (4) cushion the floor. See
Figure 30.5.
Replace standing with sitting. In general, heart rates are lower when sitting than standing. However,
in an experiment of checkout workstations, Lehman et al. (2001) reported workstations with a standing
0operator had lower EMG than sitting. Sitting does restrict torso movement and thus reach distances.
A possible alternative is a sit-stand stool, where the person's legs are almost vertical, supporting about
8
2
3 of body weight. The adjustable height seat (65-85 cm) should tilt forward 15
8
-30
8
. Chester et al.
/
(2002) recommend a footrest resulting in a 90
footrest-calf angle.
Supplement static standing with occasional walking. As discussed in Section 30.1.2 at the start of this
chapter, there are cardiovascular benefits of occasional walking.
Shift posture while standing. As discussed in Section 30.2.1 and Figure 30.3, there are benefits of shifting
standing posture using standing aids such as bar rails and foot rests.
Cushion the floor. See Figure 30.5.
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FIGURE 30.5 Standing Aids. (From: Adapted from Konz, S. and Rys, M. 2003. Occupational Ergonomics, 3:165-
172. With permission.)
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