Overview
EN ISO 9241-6:1999 (ISO 9241-6:1999) provides ergonomic guidance on the work environment for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs). It is part of the ISO 9241 series addressing ergonomic requirements for VDT work and applies to work systems (per ISO 6385) where VDTs are used for office tasks. The standard focuses on environmental conditions that influence user comfort and performance and on integrated solutions that balance lighting, acoustics, thermal factors and workspace layout.
Key topics and technical focus
The standard covers a set of environmental domains and gives guiding principles rather than prescriptive equipment specifications:
- Natural and artificial lighting - factors affecting luminance, contrast, glare, reflections and the balance between vertical and horizontal illuminance; need for adaptable lighting for screen and paper-based tasks.
- Sound and noise - acoustic design considerations, measurement and evaluation methods for workplace noise and strategies to reduce interference with tasks.
- Mechanical vibrations - assessment and measurement guidance for whole-body and structural vibrations affecting comfort and performance.
- Electromagnetic fields and static electricity - guidance on minimizing interference between equipment and environment (note: the part does not address health effects of emissions).
- Thermal environment - principles for thermal comfort (PMV/PPD concepts referenced), operative and radiant temperature considerations.
- Space organization and workplace layout - ergonomic layout of workstations and immediate environment to support VDT tasks.
Informative annexes provide methods and examples: lighting guidance, sound measurement techniques, vibration measurement, and thermal assessment.
Practical applications and typical users
EN ISO 9241-6 is used to design, assess and improve office environments where VDTs are central. Typical applications include:
- Designing ergonomically optimized office workstations and open-plan offices.
- Specifying lighting schemes to reduce glare and improve screen readability.
- Planning acoustic treatments or noise-control strategies for offices.
- Assessing thermal comfort parameters for staff using VDTs.
- Integrating equipment placement to reduce electromagnetic and static interference.
Primary users:
- Ergonomists and human factors specialists
- Facilities and office space planners
- Occupational health & safety professionals
- Workplace designers, architects and lighting consultants
- IT and equipment manufacturers integrating VDTs into work environments
Related standards
EN ISO 9241-6 is part of the ISO 9241 series and references other standards for measurement and methods, including ISO 6385 (work systems), ISO 7730 (thermal comfort PMV/PPD), ISO 8995 (lighting), ISO 1996 / ISO 9612 (acoustics) and IEC 61000 series (EMC testing). Use EN ISO 9241-6 alongside these standards for comprehensive ergonomic workplace design.
Keywords: EN ISO 9241-6:1999, ISO 9241-6, VDT ergonomics, office ergonomics, visual display terminals, work environment, lighting, noise, thermal comfort, workplace layout.
