Anthropometric data for equipment design in Small Island Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Mauritius have the technical expertise and facilities to design and manufacture equipment for local companies. Anthropometric indicators from the Ergonomists, ISO14738:2002 and ISO15534-3:2000 are being used which may not be appropriate. A research has been carried out to compare the anthropometric values obtained from a Mauritian company with the international sources for the design of particular equipment before making recommendations on what data source will be appropriate for SIDS. Based on workspace design principles, the 5th percentile is used for reach and the work surface height. The 50th percentile is used for visibility requirements and the 95th percentile is used for clearance necessity. The 5th and 95th percentiles were calculated from the normal distribution obtained so that the workstation suits at least 90 percent of the users and the 50th percentile was also determined. The percentiles for the reach and eye height for the local population were seen to differ by more than 10 percent while this was less for the stature and elbow height as compared to data obtained from ISO 14738:2002 and ISO 15534-3: 2000. Thus it is strongly recommended that the design and manufacture of equipment for the local companies takes into consideration the anthropometry of the local population.