Posted By Ken Taylor We need to consider Reg 10 of the W(HSW)Regs as requiring 3 things - sufficient floor area; sufficient height and sufficient unoccupied space. Whilst the the Guidance links these for calculation purposes along the lines of the old Factories Act and OSRP Act, we need to ensure that all three criteria are met. With regard to floor space, it needs to be sufficient to both accommodate the person and perform the tasks required using the equipment, etc involved. It is notable, however, that the guidance establishes 3.7m2 as a minimum based upon a 3m high or higher ceiling but says that this will not always be sufficient. On the matter of space the procedure must be to eliminate the occupied space first in the calculation.

Posted By Colin Williams Does that mean, that if you had an office area, you would remove all the space taken up by furniture, cupboards, etc. before applying the 3.7m2 per person rule? That would seem to be very generous if it was the case?

Posted By Alison Dando For what it is worth, I use three criteria to decide whether a room is overcrowded, which all have to be fulfilled: 1. Vol. of room - total vol. of furniture --------------------------------------- 11 = minimum space/person 2. enough free space to allow staff to get to and from a workstation 3. enough space to move around the room with ease You can sometimes easily fulfill the first, which everyone concentrates on but due to a shape of a room e.g. long and narrow/ wide and narrow/ several recessed areas, the layout of the furniture or the type of furniture (must include adequate storage facilities) in the room, are staff trying to hot desk at the same time in an office, do staff hold meetings in the room or congregate for other reasons (nearest room with a phone, next to the photocopier/print room/storeroom, nearest to an entrance so people stop and ask for directions) etc. - the other two criteria may not be fulfilled. In essence I see it as risk assessing a space, so all or some of the unfulfilled criteria can be managed/controlled after the initial assessment, depending on what you require. Whatever is required of a room office/workshop/factory floor etc. the criteria and method of assessment shouldn't vary that much. Staff have to get in and out of a space, move around without bumping into too many objects and do their job without excessive space restrictions. The most time consuming part is completing the measurements, even with hand held beam technology. Hope this helps,

Posted By PatrickT Colleagues,why not take our Space planners advice and divide the total cubic by the frosties secret formula, and suggest that to get more people within the given space that the organisation should get smaller desks. This is true, it was only when I asked about an Architectural Footprint did the nonsence end. Every building is designed to cater for only so many. I our case it was the toilet facilities that decided how many can operate on a given floor. Air conditioning systems are only designed to cater for so many and recirculate the air (litres) some many times an hour (every 20 mins?). Put too many in an evironment that cannot cope and you are looking at epidemics in the workplace, not cost effective and definately damaging to productivity. Ignore this and you are also heading down the road of Sick Building Syndrome, anybody else remember that? Of course you are not to include in calculations, local traffic flow (routes to and from desks)or the one metre wide (or so) route to the fire exits. As one of our colleagues pointed out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment should sort things out. The problem with this is who on earth actually does these things to the Nth degree as to actually warrant the 11M3 template. Sorry Colin, gone off the point somewhat these are only the negative things to look out for. Why not invite your local fire brigade officer along to seek his advice? You could also get him to check out the Fire Risk Assessment and the like. Good topic, but a thankless job it is certainly one in which you are looking at a hiding to nothing. Just thought what about the introduction of new technology ie smaller desks flatter screens, hot desking, home working, changes in flexible working patterns to actually make them benefit the staff ie so not all the desks are being occupied during the current shift pattern and the like? Good Luck, I will be interested to find out how you have progressed. Regards