HSE regs on office space

[bertie]

I seem to recall there is some HSE regulations or maybe guidelines on the amount of minimum square feet per person you are allowed in an office environment.

Anyone know? I've trawled the HSE website but it's a nightmare!

Cheers

[anonymous-user]

Try looking up the metric handbook. I dont have a copy any more but I believe its in there.

Hang on just found this on the RICS website

http://www.rics.org/Management/Facilitiesmanagemen...

Personal space
The minimum workspace to be allocated per person is specified in UK health and safety law as 11 cubic metres. This leads to a minimum space allocation of 4.2 square metres, although planners and architects have to date normally utilised an average of 10 square metres per person in their calculations of maximum occupancy of the net internal area in a building. That figure does however include acknowledgement, and a proportion, of the support and ancillary space (catering areas, lift lobbies, toilets, circulation space, etc), and not just a person’s work area. The British Council for Offices (BCO) offers a good practice range of 12-17 square metres. These figures can provide a rough idea of how many people can be slotted into a given net internal area. But how they are fitted in will depend on the shape of the space and an organisation’s space standards.

Edited by MonkeyMatt on Thursday 28th June 18:26

[TimCrighton]

Typically one tends to allow about 112-125 sqft per employee - this also accomdates for the associated filing etc. With larger scale requirements this is often cut back to around 100sqft. Call centres can operate on the minimum of 50sqft but little else in my view.

[bertie]

Thanks for the info.

I have a tennant who has approx 85 people in a building that's about 6000 sq ft NIA and it's causing car park issues to other tennants on the business park.

Sounds like they're well over the good practice limit.

[TimCrighton]

Operating at 70sqft per person is a high intensity user of that there is no doubt but little that you can do as there is no controvention of HSE. However car parking should be controlled by the managing agent for the property. The car parking allocated or designated to the unit will be outlined by the lease and if in controvention of this then there are grounds on which you could act.

Is the building multi-tenanted?

EDIT Just read its causing issues with the other tenants on the park. Tricky one - it sounds like one of the problems of local authorities imposing car parking on unit which just isn't fesable to achieve. We have units here that we built in the 80s and have parking at 1:180sqft - but now you're lucky to achieve 1:275 on the same site. In guildford we're at about 1:1250 for new development and one in Hammersmith is 1:8000!

Edited by TimCrighton on Thursday 12th July 14:08

[bertie]

We are the developeers, owners and landlord, it's a single occupancy building let to a large financial institution.

There are clauses in the lease which define the allocated parking and prevent them parking on the service road which is being adopted by the highways agency.

They have recently taken a further area on a shorter lease for use as car parking and agian signed undertakings that they will prevent staff parking on the highway.

All things considered you'd have thought they would have known better!!

[TimCrighton]

Absolutely. Its a pain when this sort of thing raises its head. I know the guys here in management probably spend more time dealing with parking queries than just about anything else!
You're very lucky if the additional land got consent for parking - we're trying to do the same thing with a scheme we're agents for at the moment and the parking is holding it back - and we're struggling with consent - its a peripherial location on the edge of town not within walking distance to the station and on no bus routes - I see a problem here!!

Where abouts are you based?

Edited by TimCrighton on Thursday 12th July 14:29

[bertie]

Ah well we're on a sustainable transport route here, ie there is a bus stop at the end or the access road and we've put an (always empty) bike shelter in!

The adjoining land is part of the whole development which we haven't built yet.
They were in talks for a second building but decided they could squeeze a few more in clearly!

[TimCrighton]

I which case they've definitely got no excuse for breaching their parking!