I beleive the answer is as follows;-

The total volume of the room, when empty, divided by the number of people normally working in it should be at least 11 cubic metres. In making this calculation a room or part of a room which is more than 3.0 m high should be counted as 3.0 m high maximum.

11.7 x 5.2 x 2.4 = 145cubic metres

14 people

I think!

Excellent, thanks guys for the info :-)

Hi Ken, you're right, 13 is optimistic! Having had a look at the unit, the heat / humidity alone with another 3 people in will be a nightmare, and don't even get me started with the fire and evacuation aspect. However, I am here to advise the best I can, but some managers find it hard to accept the advice or alternative solutions - blinkered....?

The 11 cubic metres standard is nothing to do with DSE, it's a general standard from the Welfare Regs. And you are supposed to subtract the furniture from the volume before dividing by the number of occupants. Or is the plan to save space by giving them all laptops and having them stand up or sit on the floor?

Can I clarify, that I'm actually not supporting this. However, my interpretation of the ACoP is that 11 cu metres is calculated while the room is empty, although it does recognise that it may not be sufficient when furniture and equipment are in place.

And before risk assessment is mentioned....! I'm now going down the "fire" route

The formula for adjusting the figure to take the furniture into account is subtraction of the volume taken up by the furniture.

Many moons ago we carried out an analysis of a variety of rooms & concluded that an approximate deduction for furniture, walkways, etc. came out at 40% - it appeared to work in most situations.

Therefore, w x l x h (max 3m) = x cubic m ; deduct 40% = y cubic m; divide by 11 = approx maximum occupancy.

Hope this helps!

Zyggy

Bob,

As I intimated, this advice was only based on an approximate amount as every room is different & never a perfect cube!!

Given your first example (3x3x3), it may well be that given the furniture, etc. (a lot smaller desks now & less paper = fewer cabinets) means that the 40% could be reduced to say 35% & then an occupancy of 2 may be reasonable - please remember it's just a guide, not an exact science!

If we then use the same room dimension again & it is going to be used by an architect who will need space to work on large plans, etc., then the 40% may have to be increased to 45% & therefore in that case it may indeed be the case that only one person can work in the room.

The 40% guide came from an amalgamation of different rooms & settings & is only meant to be used as an initial estimation.

Thought you all might like to see the way the Cabinet office are proceeding with Government property, they have changed the calculation from cubed to squared?
I have been trying to get clarification on this and what it actually means as my department will be moving location next year.
All very worrying.....

http://www.cabinetoffice...tegy-cuts-millions-costs

Ken you are echoing all my concerns, who decided to change the recognised cubed calculation to squared and why?
If you have a few part time workers all working on the same shift we will not have enough desks as the calculation is for FTE only? We have hot desking already, at this rate we will be working in the lift lobby, or the cleaners cupboard which will probably conform in size to the new squared standard!

Please refer to the ACoP and guidance to Regulation 10 of the "welfare" regs regarding minimum space


The ACop clarifies that:-

there should be enough free space to allow people to get to and from workstations and to move within the room, with ease.

the number of people who may work in any particular room at any one time will depend not only on the size of the room, but on the space taken up by furniture, fittings, equipment, and on the layout of the room.

The figure of 11 cubic metres per person is a minimum and may be insufficient if, for example, much of the room is taken up by furniture etc.

The guidance clarifies that the floor space per person indicated in paragraph 77 and 79 will not always give sufficient unoccupied space, as required by the Regulation. Rooms may need to be larger, or to have fewer people working in them, than indicated in those paragraphs, depending on such factors as the contents and layout of the room and the nature of the work. Where space is limited careful planning of the workplace is particularly important.


http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l24.pdf


The most important factor is that the welfare regs are not DSE specific.