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Screen-based workstations
AS 3590.3—1990
This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee SF/38, Screen-based Work-
stations. It was approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on
27 November 1989 and published on 2 April 1990.
Review of Australian Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Australian Standards are subject
to periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue of amendments or new editi ons as necessary. It is
important therefore that Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest editi on, and any
amendments thereto.
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Australian Standard
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Screen-based workstations
Part 3: Input devices
PREFACE
In the absence of suitable data on the Australian population, published American data
have been used to specify dimensions to accommodate people in the 2.5 percentile
female to 97.5 percentile male range.
Split-field keyboards, which have been developed in an attempt to enable keyboard
operation to occur with the arms and fingers as close as possible to their neutral or
relaxed muscle posture, were considered by the committee during its work. However,
given that split-field keyboards are not widely used, their inclusion in the Standard at
this time was considered inappropriate.
Some information and preliminary readings on split-field keyboards may be obtained
from the following documents:
ILG, R. Ergonomic Keyboard Design, Behaviour and Information Technology,
Vol 6, No 3, 303-309 (1987).
NAKASEKO, M. et al. Studies on Ergonomically Designed Alpha Numeric
Keyboards, Human Factors, (27) 2, 175-185 (1985).
ROSE, M.J. The Development of Ergonomic Keyboards, Proceedings of the
Institution of Industrial Engineers Australia Conference, Manly (1986).
CONTENTS
Page
1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4 KEYBOARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
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STANDARDS AUSTRALIA
Australian Standard
Screen-based workstations
1 SCOPE. This Standard specifies design requirements (d) No features to make the case sharp or
for conventional QWERTY keyboards. uncomfortable to use.
The Standard also includes recommendations on mouse 4.5 Layout. The arrangement of alphanumeric
design. characters on the keyboard shall be in accordance with
2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS. The following AS 2287.
documents are referred to in this Standard: Function keys should be easily distinguishable, e.g.
AS through colour, shape, or location coding.
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2287 Layout of typebar typewriter keyboards— NOTE: The position of graphic symbols and superscripts is
QWERTY largely application dependent. Standards covering this subject
are AS 2287, ISO 3243, ANSI X4.23.
3260 Approval and test specification— Safety of
information technology equipment including 4.6 Key spacing. Centreline spacing between adjacent
electrical business equipment keys should be not less than 18 mm and not greater
than 21 mm.
3590 Screen-based workstations
3590.1 Part 1: Visual display units 4.7 Keytops. Keytops should have the following
characteristics:
ISO (a) Neutral soft matt finish.
3243 Keyboards for countries whose languages have
alphabetic extenders—Guidelines for (b) Surface reflectance, when determined in
harmonization accordance with the relevant part of AS 3590.1, of
not less than 0.20 and not greater than 0.60.
ANSI
X4.23 Office machines and supplies— Alphanumeric (c) Concave shape.
machines—Keyboard arrangement (d) Alphanumeric keys not less than 12 mm square
3 DEFINITIONS. For the purpose of this Standard, the and not greater than 15 mm square.
definitions below apply. (e) Permanently and legibly marked with letters not
less than 3 mm in height on alphanumeric symbol
3.1 Shall — indicates that a statement is mandatory. keys.
3.2 Should — indicates a recommendation. (f) Resistance to dirt, dust, and moisture.
4 KEYBOARDS. (g) No features to make the keys sharp or
4.1 Detachment. The keyboard shall be separate from uncomfortable to press.
the VDU screen. It shall be possible to position the 4.8 Key travel.
keyboard within 1 m of the screen.
4.8.1 Function keys. The vertical travel of the function
4.2 Profile. The vertical height of the home row of keys keys shall be not less than 1.5 mm and not greater than
above the desk top should be not greater than 30 mm. 6.0 mm.
The slope of the keyboard shall be not less than 4.8.2 Alphanumeric keys. The vertical travel of the
5 degrees and not greater than 15 degrees from the alphanumeric keys should be not less than 2 mm and
horizontal. The slope should be adjustable. not greater than 4 mm.
The keyboard may have a dished, sloped, flat, or stepped 4.8.3 Automatic repeat function. The automatic repeat
profile. The front edge of the keyboard should be function shall not be activated until the key has reached
rounded. the end of its travel.
4.3 Stability. The keyboard should be stable. It should 4.9 Key force.
not slip, tip, or rock during normal keying activities. 4.9.1 Function keys. The force required to depress the
4.4 Case. The case should have the following function keys shall be not less than 0.25 N and not
characteristics: greater than 1.5 N.
4.9.2 Alphanumeric keys. The force required to
(a) Neutral soft matt finish. depress the alphanumeric keys shall be not less than
(b) Surface reflectance, when determined in accordance 0.5 N and not greater than 0.9 N.
with the relevant part of AS 3590.1 of not less than 4.10 Feedback. The key action shall have a positive
0.20 and not greater than 0.50. movement to provide tactile feedback. Key force should
(c) Resistant to dirt, dust, and moisture. increase with vertical displacement over approximately
40% of the total displacement, followed by a sharp and
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