This document gives guidance on design principles and on design of work systems, including task and equipment design (comprising robotics and intelligent autonomous systems) and design of the workplace, as well as working conditions with the inclusion of social and organisational factors, emphasising mental workload and its effects as specified in ISO 10075‑1.

It applies to the design of work and use of human capacities, with the intention of providing optimal working conditions with respect to health and safety, well-being, performance and effectiveness, preventing overload as well as underload, in order to avoid impairing effects and fostering the facilitating effects described in ISO 10075‑1.

This document includes the design of technical, organisational and social factors only and does not apply to problems of selection or training.

This document does not address problems of measurement of mental workload or its effects.

This document refers to all kinds of human work activities (see ISO 10075‑1), not only to those which can be described as cognitive or mental tasks in a restricted sense but also to those with a primarily physical workload.

This document is applicable to all those engaged in the design and use of work systems, for example system and equipment designers, employers and workers and their representatives, where they exist.

This document is applicable to the design of new work systems as well as to the redesign of existing ones undergoing substantial revision.