Knoll Workplace Research

Office Ergonomic
Standards
A Layperson’s Guide

Dr. Michael O’Neill

Senior Director, Workplace Research
Knoll, Inc.
Office Ergonomic Standards
A Layperson’s Guide

Furniture designed using Figure 1. Two key resources for

The specifications within both documents
are voluntary, not enforceable by law
ergonomic principles can workplace ergonomic guidance
However, many organizations choose to use
improve performance and these guidance documents as a reference for
reduce workplace injury workstation set-up or furniture evaluations,
and enforce them internally.
Because of the compelling benefits of
ergonomic furniture, standards were HFES 100 BIFMA G1
The HFES 100 contains ergonomic
developed to help organizations specify
conformance specifications for office
and purchase office furnishings that meet
furniture, displays, input devices, and the
basic ergonomic requirements. These
integration of all those components into a
ergonomic guidance documents are written
While HFES 100 is an ANSI-accredited complete workstation
in a highly technical format—often challenging
“non-experts” to correctly apply them when standard and BIFMA G1 is a guideline from
These standards accommodate at least
another organization, both resources share
developing specifications. This primer clarifies common themes and attributes. 90% of the North American workforce.
popular misconceptions and explains how to HFES 100 was created by a committee of
use the two predominant ergonomic guidance academics, engineers, researchers and
documents, commonly referred to within HFES 100 is a national standard, BIFMA professional ergonomists, and draws upon a
the furniture industry as the HFES 100 and G1 is a guideline carefully considered foundation of published
BIFMA G1. ergonomic research.
Both the HFES and BIFMA organizations
Two documents provide guidance in the are ANSI-accredited standards developers.
The BIFMA G1 Guideline is an industry
ergonomic specification process The HFES 100 is a true national standard,
guideline for ergonomic computer
In 2008, the Human Factors and Ergonomics having gone through the ANSI accreditation
workstations
Society (HFES) released a sequel to its process which includes a national review of
the document. The BIFMA G1 is not a national The BIFMA G1 provides recommendations
influential 1988 standards document, the
standard, because it has not been through for sizing furniture to accommodate the 5th
“ANSI/HFES 100 – 2007 Human Factors
the external review and other steps required percentile female to the 95th percentile male
Engineering of Computer Workstations.”
by ANSI for such certification. (However, other of the North American population. It was
Independently, the Business and Institutional
aspects of the BIFMA guidance document, created primarily by representatives from the
Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA)
such as the product testing requirements furniture industry. However, the committee
published the “BIFMA G1—2002 Ergonomics
section, are certified by ANSI as a national also includes designers, furniture dealers,
Guideline for VDT (Visual Display Terminal)
standard.) businesses, academics, ergonomists,
Furniture Used in Office Work Spaces.”
consultants, and others.

What is ANSI?
Founded in 1918 the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) works with organizations to create and manage voluntary national standards
for products.

The goal of ANSI is to enhance the global competitiveness of US business by facilitating the development of standards.

What is HFES?
Founded in 1957, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) is the world’s largest interdisciplinary nonprofit professional organization
covering the fields of human factors and ergonomics.

The Society’s mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable
to the design of systems and devices of all kinds.

What is BIFMA?
The mission of the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA) is to lead, advocate, inform and develop standards for
the North American office and institutional furniture industry. BIFMA develops voluntary product and industry standards that support safe, healthy
and sustainable environments.

© 2011 Knoll, Inc. A Layperson’s Guide to Office Ergonomic Standards Page 1

 Table 1. Comparison of the HFES 100 Standards and BIFMA G1 Guidelines

Similarities Differences

HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 HFES 100 BIFMA G1

· Uses 4 standard reference postures Exclusive focus on ergonomics Includes section on ergonomics, with
additional sections on safety, durability,
· Based on 1988 ANSUR Army materials, testing procedures for furniture
anthropometric database
· Employs “shoulds” and “shalls” Emphasizes standards, requirements Emphasizes guidelines, recommendations
nomenclature
Contains only standards approved by Contains some standards not approved
· Accredited by ANSI as a standards ANSI by ANSI (in addition to ANSI-approved
developer requirements)

· Standards development committee Does not address ergonomic Provides a process for evaluating furniture
includes broad variety of stakeholders requirements of extremely large or small needs of extremely large or small people
(industry reps, ergonomists, academics, people
government, etc.)

The two guidance documents have much Beyond ergonomics, the BIFMA G1 Poor understanding of “shoulds”
in common as well as important differences contains numerous additional sections and “shalls” can lead to unneeded
(see Table 1). They use the same reference related to product testing, furniture durability, requirements
postures and anthropometric data, present sustainability, and other aspects of product
Faced with the many shoulds and shalls
advice on the basis of requirements and materials and construction that are of
sprinkled throughout these documents,
recommendations, have sponsoring direct interest to furniture manufacturers.
users sometimes take what they feel is
organizations that are accredited by ANSI to The HFES 100 does not have any product
the safe route—selecting an assortment
create standards, and consist of committees testing standards.
of shoulds and shalls and making them all
with members from a broad range of business
To effectively use these documents it requirements. A recent Human Factors and
and ergonomic backgrounds.
is critical to understand the difference Ergonomics Society (HFES) article refers to
between “shoulds” and “shalls” this phenomenon as “requirement creep,” and
There are some differences between
states that requirements not fully supported
the two guidance documents
A “shall” is a requirement for by ergonomics science should not be used in
The spirit of the BIFMA G1 is to provide conformance, while a “should” is only a purchase specifications (Bradtmiller, Gordon
general recommendations and suggestions recommendation and Albin, 2011).
for good ergonomic furnishings (many of
All “shall” statements must be achieved HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 differ in their use
them drawn from the HFES 100), but avoids
in order to conform to the standard. For of “shalls”
mandating ergonomic requirements. HFES
example, a statement in a standard that
100 is the national ergonomics standard for Table 2 provides a comparison of “shalls”
“a chair shall have a
workstations, and contains numerous specific (requirements) specified
backrest” requires
requirements. When creating a standard by the HFES 100 and the
that a chair must have
for your organization, BIFMA G1 for seating. The
The BIFMA G1 contains some specifications a backrest in order to
HFES 100 has fourteen
that have been approved by their internal conform to that standard. remember that the
possible requirements
committee, but not by ANSI. The HFES 100 only required specifications for seating conformance,
contains only ANSI approved requirements, “Should” statements are are shalls. while BIFMA G1 has only
reflecting its position as the national standard. only recommendations
four requirements. Thus,
and are not necessary
Unlike the HFES 100, the BIFMA G1 provides the spirit of the BIFMA G1 is to provide
to conform to the standard
information and procedures to help fit recommendations, rather than to mandate the
exceptionally large or small people (those not “Shoulds” are given when there are optional details of a specification.
covered under the “average” range of body means of achieving the objective of a
sizes). HFES 100 provides no ergonomic specification, or when there is no strong HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 differ in how they
guidance for individuals who fall outside consensus regarding the specification (for accommodate “outliers”
the average range (sometimes referred to example, if there are research studies that
There is an emerging need to accommodate
as “outliers”). come to different conclusions in the matter).
the ergonomic requirements of outliers in

© 2011 Knoll, Inc. A Layperson’s Guide to Office Ergonomic Standards Page 2

 employee populations in the US. The BIFMA
Figure 2. A range of potential
G1 recognizes that no single standard will
positions
accommodate all people within the intended
In the 1988 version of the HFES 100, only one user population. Rather, a percentage
reference posture, upright sitting, was included.
As the standard evolved, it expanded to four of users are statistical “outliers” from the
reference postures: reclined sitting, upright average—taller, shorter, or heavier than the
sitting, declined sitting, and standing. general population. This is especially true
Illustration of Reference Postures. (From ANSI/HFES 100 – 2007 of seating for people who are significantly
Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations © 2007) heavier than the average population. There
are no current ergonomic standards for this
type of office chair, referred to as “bariatric
seating.” To create good ergonomic solutions
Table 2. Comparison of HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 requirements (“shalls”) for outliers, the BIFMA G1 defines a process
for seating conformance for accommodating individual users, referred
Seating element HFES 100 BIFMA G1 to as the Ultimate Test of Fit.
Chair Shall support user’s The type of caster shall suit the
back and thighs. properties of the floor surface. The BIFMA G1 Ultimate Test of Fit provides
Shall have a backrest The work chair shall not move away a common-sense approach to fitting
that reclines. easily when unoccupied. outliers that considers ergonomic issues
Shall support 2 of This test includes assessments of
3 seated postures:
reclined, upright, worksurface height for input devices and
declined. monitors, and seating. For example, when
using this process to fit a user for a work chair,
Shall be stable during
typical use. a total of six shoulds are specified, relating to
seat height, depth and width; seat pan angle;
Shall conform to ANSI/
BIFMA X5.1 - 2002. and backrest height and width.

Chair seat height

The evaluation of these shoulds is based on
Shall be user adjustable Work chairs designed to
over a range of 4.5 in. accommodate a specified user direct observation of the user in the chair.
between 15 and 22 in. population shall achieve fit for the For example, when fitting proper seat height
range suitable for the intended user the guideline states that “users should be
population.
able to sit with their feet comfortably on the
Within a selected range of floor or footrest without undue pressure on
adjustability, the seat height shall be
the underside of the thighs. The thigh-to-
user adjustable.
torso angle should not be less than 90°.” The
Seat width Shall be at least 17.7 in. not required balance of the shoulds read much the same,
wide. emphasizing visual examination of an actual
Seat pan depth If fixed, shall be no more not required user in the furnishing or setting.
than 16.9 in.
A common misconception of the reference
Seat pan tilt Shall have a user- not required
postures used by both HFES 100 and
adjustable range of at
least 4º, must include 3º BIFMA G1 is that there are only four
rearward. “correct” postures

Seat pan-backrest angle Shall have a adjustment not required The illustration of these reference postures
range of 15º or more (see Figure 2) sometimes leads to the
within the range of
mistaken conclusion that there are only four
90º and 120º from
horizontal. “correct” working postures. In reality, these
four reference postures depict “snapshots”
Shall not constrain
within a range of potential positions—not a list
user’s torso forward of
vertical. of four discrete acceptable postures. In fact,
both guidance documents acknowledge that
Shall not force a torso-
thigh angle less than computer users frequently change postures
90º. to maintain comfort and productivity. These
postures simply represent the endpoints
Lumbar support Shall have a lumbar not required
of motion within ranges of movement, not
support.
individual positions.

© 2011 Knoll, Inc. A Layperson’s Guide to Office Ergonomic Standards Page 3

Next steps for HFES 100 and BIFMA G1
References Author’s Bio
Both HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 are being
Bradtmiller, B., Gordon, C.G. and Albin, T.J. As Senior Director of Workplace Research for
reviewed. The committees of both share
(April 2011). User Trial for ANSI/HFES 100. Knoll, Dr. Michael O’Neill conducts research
a concern about whether the vintage
HFES Bulletin, Volume 54, Number 4. projects with leading companies to assess
1988 military anthropometric data they
how workspace design affects employee
use accurately represents the North
Additional Resources performance and health. Previously, as a
American civilian population. Consequently
professor of interior design and industrial
both committees are reviewing different
International standards are available for engineering at the University of Wisconsin, he
anthropometric databases in order to achieve
companies with a global footprint taught and conducted workplace ergonomics
better representation of the civilian population.
research.
The International Organization for
Both committees are investigating the use of
Standardization (ISO), with members in O’Neill is the author of several books,
sophisticated statistical techniques which will
162 countries, develops international including Ergonomic Design for Organizational
yield more precise and accurate descriptions
standards for needs, including workstation Effectiveness (1998), and Measuring
of the anthropometric dimensions used. This
ergonomics. Users with responsibility for Workplace Performance (2007). He is a
will affect dimensions, such as the height
computer workstation specifications outside co-author of the ANSI/HFES 100-2007
of the eyes above the floor while seated,
North America should consult the ISO workstation standards and is a member of
which have not been directly measured.
standards. Users with computer workstation the current ANSI/HFES 100 Workstation
The resulting dimensions will be easy to
responsibilities in Canada should consult Standards revision committee. In 1993,
understand and apply with greater certainty
the guidelines published by the Canadian Michael was an early recipient of the Board
that the dimensions are correct.
Standards Association (CSA). Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE)
designation.
For best results, blend carefully 4 CSA-Z412-00 (R2005) - Guideline on
Office Ergonomics (Canadian Standards
Proper understanding and use of the
Association) Acknowledgements
HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 are the first
4 ISO 9241-5 1998 - Workstation layout and The author would like to thank Tom Albin for
step to achieving a healthy and safe work
postural requirements (ISO) his significant contribution to early drafts,
environment. The HFES 100 and BIFMA G1
are not mutually exclusive documents. In fact, and ongoing technical advice, during the
Copies of the HFES 100 and BIFMA G1 are development of this paper.
used together they provide a useful resource
available online
for supporting the broadest range of users.
The BIFMA G1 Guideline can be obtained
4 If you want your furniture product
from BIFMA at its website: http://www.bifma.
specification to be in full compliance with
org/standards/index.html
the national standard, then use the HFES
100 and incorporate all applicable shalls The HFES 100 Standard can be obtained
for the furnishing you are specifying. from the Human Factors and Ergonomics
Society at its website: http://www.
4 If you see some benefits of specifications
hfes.org/Publications/ProductDetail.
within BIFMA G1 that are not approved by
aspx?ProductID=69
ANSI but make sense for your particular
organization, then incorporate them.
However if you take this approach we
suggest you also use all HFES 100 shalls
for that product. And, recognize that when
you start to add unapproved specifications
or shoulds to your standard, it may be
possible that there is not an existing
product that meets your standard.

4 If you want to create ergonomic standards

to support the needs of extremely large or
small people, we suggest employing the
Ultimate Test of Fit within the BIFMA G1.

Through research, Knoll explores the connection between workspace design and human behavior, health and performance,
and the quality of the user experience. We share and apply what we learn to inform product development and help our
customers shape their work environments. To learn more about this topic or other research resources Knoll can provide, visit
www.knoll.com/research/index.jsp

© 2011 Knoll, Inc. A Layperson’s Guide to Office Ergonomic Standards Page 4