Laboratory of Ergonomics

Designing your own VDT Workstation with

ErgoEASER 2.0
Instructions for laboratory course

Taking the neccessary measures of you

and your current workspace is a required
prerequisite for participating in this laboratory. Dont forget to do it AT HOME the
day before or you will not be allowed to
participate in the class!

Preparing for classes - taking measures.

Measuring yourself
Popliteal height
Taken in a standing, straightened up
position, measured from the ground to
the knee-joint. You cannot take this measure

Elbow rest height

Taken in a seated, straightened up position, with forearm hanging freely, measured from the elbow to the seat pan.

correctly by yourself, please ask for assistance of a friend!

You cannot take this measure correctly by

yourself, please ask for assistance of a friend!

Eye height (seated)

Taken in a seated, straightened up position, from the eye to the seat pan. You

Elbow-to-Elbow
Taken in a standing, straightened up
position, with upper arms hanging freely,
measured from left to right elbow. You

cannot take this measure correctly by yourself, please ask for assistance of a friend!

Elbow-to-ngertip
Taken with arm, hand and ngers
straightened in the same line, measured
from the elbow to the tip of your longest
nger.

cannot take this measure correctly by yourself, please ask for assistance of a friend!

Buttock-to-popliteal
Taken in a standing, straightened up
position, measured from the sacrum
(beginning of backbone) to the knee-joint.
You cannot take this measure correctly by
yourself, please ask for assistance of a friend!

Measuring your chair

BACK SUPPORT (IF ANY)
Height BSH
Measured from the seat pan to
the center of lumbar support of
the seat back.

Angle bsa
Measured from the vertical to a
line through the seat back.

SEAT PAN
Height SPH
Measured from the oor to the
top of the seat pan at least 10cm
from the front, with the seat being ompressed with at least 45kg
weight.

Angle spa
Measured from the horizontal to
the line through the surface of
the seat.
Depth SPD
Measured from the front of the
seat pan to the seat back.

ARM SUPPORT (IF ANY)

Height ASH
Measured from the top of the
arm support to the top of the
seat pan.

Depth APD
Measured from the front to the
back edge of the arm rest.

Width ASW
Measured from outside to outside.

Laboratory of Ergonomics

FOOT REST (INF ANY)

Height FRD
Measured from the oor surface
to the top of the foot rest.

Depth FRH
Measured from the back of the
seat pan to the front edge of the
foot rest.

Angle fra
Angle of the foot rest measured
from the horizontal.

Measuring your inputs & display

KEYBOARD
Height h
Measured from the oor surface
to the home row of the keyboard.
Angle d
Measured between the tops of
the keys and the horizontal.

Home row of the keyboard is

where the A, S, D, E etc. keys are.

Depth a
Measured from the back of the
seat pan to the front edge of the
foot rest.

Wrist Height wh
Measured from bottom of the
ketboard or surface to the top
of the wrist support (0 if no wrist
support available)

MOUSE
Height h
Measured from the oor surface
to the top of the mouse.

Distance d
Measured from the back of the
seat pan to the front edge of the
mouse.

Angle d
Measured from the support surface of the mouse to horizontal.

Wrist Height wh
Measured from bottom of the
mouse or surface to the top of
the wrist support (0 if no wrist
support available)

DISPLAY
Height h
Measured from the oor surface
to the top edge of the screen,

Distance d
Measured from the eyes in a
comfortably seated position to
the center of the screen.

Angle d
Angle of line straight out of the
screen to horizontal

Laboratory of Ergonomics

Task A: Optimize your workspace to eliminate strains

1.

Starting ErgoEASER and inputing your data

1.

Start the ErgoEASER Software.

3.

5.

On the next screen choose Human tab.

Change selectrion from Estimated Measures to

Actual Measures

Laboratory of Ergonomics

2.

On the welcome screen, choose Analytic Tools,

and on the following screen choose VDT Workstation.

4.

Make sure you have the Initial Values selected

6.

If neccessary, change the displayed units type from

English (inches) to Metric (centimeters) in
Variables -> Units Menu

7.

Fill all the elds with your measures

8.

Fill the data in the same way for Inputs, Display and
Chair tabs.

9.

Dont forget to select whether your chair has the

Back Support, Arm Support and the Foot Rest

10. Fill the Job tab accordingly.

11. Once youre nished inputing data, make a screenshot of each tabs content into a new Word document
- this will be .

You can easily copy only the currently

focused window to the clipboard by pressing
Alt+Printscreen.

Laboratory of Ergonomics

2.

Removing the strains

Please remember to keep track of your progress by
providing additional screenshots in your report.
Include as many screenshots as you feel neccessary.

1.

Once Youve entered all the data, places of potential strains will be show on the right side of the
window.

3.

Dont forget about the strains appearing at the top!

Laboratory of Ergonomics

2.

Investigate each strain by clicking on it - a popup with

strain description and possible solutions will appear.

3.

Saving Your work

1.

Having removed all the strains, please save your

work in a folder specied by your teacher by going
to File -> Save Analysis As

3.

Then in the window opened choose Write to File

and save the report le to a folder specied by your
teacher

Laboratory of Ergonomics

2.

Then go to File->Results

This is a draft of how your report for task A might look like.
Your Name, Grade Book number, Date and time of classes
Your initial values:

Steps taken to remove strains:

You may want to include notes under screenshots

for better clarity, eg. I had to x the chair height
again after adjusting the monitor height.

My results le is called MyName_DATE_TaskA.rpt

My analysis le is called MyName_DATE_TaskA.vdt

Laboratory of Ergonomics

Task B: Optimize your workspace for 90% of the population

1.

Starting ErgoEASER and inputing your data

Since most of the steps are the same or similar as

in Task A, only the differences are noted below

1.

Make sure you have the Initial Values selected

Your task is to design your workspace so that it is

suitable for 90% of the population.
In order to do so, You have to design the workspace
so that it is suitable for either Small Female (5. percentile) and Large Male (95. percentile). Your task
is therefore to optimize workspace rstly for Small
Female, then for Large Male and to specify adjustment ranges neccassary (eg. seat height range) in
your report.
Try to use as little variables as possible (the fewer
adjustments will need to be done, the better), but you
may need to use the Foot Rest.

2.

In the Human tab, choose Small Female and

make the neccessary adjustments to the workplace to remove all strains.
Remember to switch to Revised Values!

3.

Remember to include screenshots of your progress in

your report.

4.

Once done, save your results in a le and switch

back to Initial Values and change the estimated
measures from Small Female to Large Man

5.

While keeping in mind to use as little adjustments as

possible, remove all strains for the Large Male.
Note the adjustments made in your records with
screenshots and explanation.

Laboratory of Ergonomics

This is a draft of how your report for task B might look like.
Your Name, Grade Book number, Date and time of classes
Your initial values:

Steps taken to remove strains for Small Female:

Comments for this step

Steps taken to remove strains for Large Male:

Comments for this step

This workspace needs to have the following adjustment ranges to be suitable for 90% of the population:
Seat Pan Height: from 50 to 75cm
Arm Support Height: from 20 to 35cm
Foot Rest: from 0 to 10cm
etc.

Please note that the values provided

here are completely exemplary and are
most likely wrong!

My results les are called MyName_DATE_TaskB_SmallFemale.rpt and MyName_DATE_TaskB_LargeMale.rpt

My analysis les are called MyName_DATE_TaskB_SmallFemale.vdt and MyName_DATE_TaskB_LargeMale.vdt

Laboratory of Ergonomics