Anthropometric table for the Puerto Rican industrial population

Abstract

In this article a possible cause for the increasing number of cases of cumulative trauma disorders that one observes in the industry of the Hispanic countries is analyzed. In Puerto Rico there is an inadequate use of anthropometric data for work stations design, because these designs are based on data coming from the U.S. population which are not suitable to the physical characteristics of Hispanic workers. This paper proposes an anthropometric table for the industrial Puerto Rican population which can be used for the design of work stations requiring any of the following twelve measures: height, elbow height, sitting height, eye height (sitting), elbow height (sitting), knee height (sitting), shoulder to shoulder breadth, hip breadth, arm reach, popliteal height, weight, and thigh height (sitting). This research shows that there are significant differences between the anthropometric measures of the Puerto Rican and U.S. industrial population; validating this way the hypothesis that the data currently considered for work stations design in Puerto Rican industry is inadequate. The table developed allows the design of work stations according to the ethnic characteristics of Puerto Rican workers, reducing the risk of developing cumulative trauma disorders.