Employee Services – Space Requirements Chapter 9 Employee Services – Space Requirements

Objectives After reading the chapter and reviewing the materials presented the students will be able to: Identify employee needs and requirements. Identify facilities such as parking lot, cafeteria in support of employee needs. Calculate space requirements in fulfillment of such requirements.

Introduction The quality of employee services will affect the quality of work life and the employee relationship with the company management. The location will affect the efficiency and productivity of the employees. A neat clean restroom indicates a positive attitude.

Parking Lots The goal is to provide adequate space with a convenient location. Three parking lots may be needed. 1. Manufacturing employee parking. 2. Office employee parking. 3. Visitor parking. One thousand feet takes an average of 4 minutes to walk. Assign the closest parking space to visitor parking. The facilities planner must incorporate the requirements of the ADA (American with Disabilities Act) of 1989 in all aspects of planning and design of parking facilities, entrances, restrooms, offices, and most areas of personnel services. Once the number of parking lots and parking spaces has been determined there are different ways to arrange parking. Large cars need a width of 10 feet, and length of 20 feet. Width of driveways are 11 feet for single lane and 22 feet for double lane. Local building codes determine parking space size, and number of handicapped spaces. As a rule of thumb, a parking lot will be 250 square feet per number of parking spaces needed.

Employee Entrance The flow of people into the factory is from their cars into the plant via the employee entrance to their lockers and to the cafeteria to wait for the start of their shifts. The employee entrance is where security, time cards, bulletin boards, and sometimes the personnel departments are located. Personnel offices and security offices will be sized at 200 square feet per office person. About one personnel person for 100 employees and one security person per 300 employees are normal. Fig 9-4, page 255 shows a plant employee entrance with security.

Locker Rooms Locker rooms give the employees space to change from their street clothes to their work clothes and a place to keep their personnel effects while working – coats, lunches, street shoes. Showers, toilets, washbasins, lockers and benches are all part of a well equipped locker room. The size of the locker room can be initially sized by multiplying the number of employees by 4 square feet per employee.

Restrooms and Toilets As a rule of thumb, one toilet is required for every 20 employees, and restrooms should be no farther than 200 feet away from the employee. One sink per toilet must be installed in every restroom. At a minimum, there should be a men’s restroom and a women’s restroom in the office and factory. Special accommodations and provisions must be made for people with disabilities as required by ADA. The size of the restroom is 15 square feet per toilet, washbasin, and entryway, and 9 square feet for urinals (fig 9-7, page 257).

Cafeterias or Lunchrooms A cafeteria feeds a lot of people in a short time. Cafeterias are generally used in big plants (fig 9-10, page 261). Vending machines can serve very complete meals. A vending machine with a microwave oven for special foods can provide employees with many meal choices. Vending machines are usually used for small plant lunchrooms. Mobile vendors are outside vendors who drive their specially built pickup trucks. Only very small plants could use this service. Executive dining rooms are used to entertain special customers, vendors, and stockholders. Off site dinning at local diners is attractive to many employees. Companies discourage employees from leaving the plant at lunchtime.

Recreational Facilities Health conscious employees are better employees and companies are recognizing this fact. Health facilities take space, and the plant layout designer must talk with management to understand what facilities need to be included. The space required must be determined and included in the plan.

Drinking Fountains Drinking fountains should be located within 200 feet of every employee and on an aisle for easy access. Fifteen square feet (3 x 5 feet) should be allowed for each drinking fountain.

Aisles Aisles are for movement of people, equipment and material and must be sized for that use. For example, two way fork truck traffic means aisles must be 10 feet wide(4 + 4 + 2 for safety). Two way people aisles must be at least 5 feet wide. Aisles should be long and straight. The major aisle of the plant may run from the receiving dock straight through the plant to the shipping dock. Side aisles may be smaller but perpendicular to the main aisle (fig 9-11, page 262). Space allocation for the production aisles is accomplished by increasing the total production space by a factor of 50%.

Medical Facilities Medical facilities vary from 6 x 6 foot first aid rooms to full fledged hospitals. In smaller plants, first aid is handled by trained employees at the plant. Medical emergencies are handled by the emergency room at the local hospital or clinic. When a plant approaches 500 people, a registered nurse is usually justified. One nurse would require a 400 square foot area. Nurses require facilities such as waiting rooms, examining rooms medical supplies, and record and reclining areas (fig 9-13, page 264).

Break Areas and Lounges If the lunchroom is too far (over 500 feet) away from groups of employees, a break area should be provided. A break area in a remote area may be a picnic table, a drinking fountain, maybe a vending machine and sometimes a ping pong table that folds up and rolls away. There should be enough seats for everyone on a break. Staggered breaks will reduce the need for excessive space. Lounges are usually found in shipping and receiving areas for visiting truck drivers to wait for their loads. Restrooms should be conveniently close to the lounges to eliminate the need for drivers walking through the plant. Lounges should be sized by multiplying the number of drivers that could be waiting at one time by 25 square feet.

Miscellaneous Employee Services 1. Training and educational facilities. 2. Child care services. 3. Hairstyling services. 4. Libraries. 5. Exercise and work out facilities.

Summary As a rule of thumb, a parking lot will be 250 square feet per number of parking spaces needed. The flow of people into the factory is from their cars into the plant via the employee entrance to their lockers and to the cafeteria to wait for the start of their shifts. About one personnel person for 100 employees and one security person per 300 employees are normal. The size of the locker room can be initially sized by multiplying the number of employees by 4 square feet per employee. The size of the restroom is 15 square feet per toilet, washbasin, and entryway, and 9 square feet for urinals. A cafeteria feeds a lot of people in a short time. Cafeterias are generally used in big plants. Health conscious employees are better employees and companies are recognizing this fact. Drinking fountains should be located within 200 feet of every employee and on an aisle for easy access. Aisles are for movement of people, equipment and material and must be sized for that use. For example, two way fork truck traffic means aisles must be 10 feet wide(4 + 4 + 2 for safety). Two way people aisles must be at least 5 feet wide. Space allocation for the production aisles is accomplished by increasing the total production space by a factor of 50%. When a plant approaches 500 people, a registered nurse is usually justified. One nurse would require a 400 square foot area. A break area in a remote area may be a picnic table, a drinking fountain, maybe a vending machine and sometimes a ping pong table that folds up and rolls away. Lounges are usually found in shipping and receiving areas for visiting truck drivers to wait for their loads.

Home Work What is the number of personnel and security people needed in a factory? How do we size locker rooms? How do we size restrooms? 4. When does a plant need a registered nurse? How much space would be required for a nurse facility?