ISO 10551-2019 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 10551:2019 — Ergonomics of the physical environment — Subjective judgement scales for assessing physical environments. This International Standard gives principles and practical examples for constructing subjective judgement scales to assess people's perceptions and responses to physical environments (thermal, visual, air quality, acoustic and vibration environments).

Abstract

This document presents principles and examples of practical application for the construction of appropriate subjective scales for use in the assessment and evaluation of the physical environment. It considers scales of perception, comfort, preference, acceptability, expression form and tolerance and is intended to help users create reliable, comparable subjective measures; it does not standardize particular scales and excludes scales related to pain or injury.

General information

• Status: Published (Edition 2, confirmed current).
• Publication date: June 2019.
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.180 (Ergonomics).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2019).
• Number of pages: 28 pages (ISO edition length).

Summary details above are taken from the ISO bibliographic record for ISO 10551:2019.

Scope

ISO 10551:2019 provides guidance for the construction and use of subjective judgement scales for assessing physical environments. It covers the principles for developing scales of perception, comfort, preference, acceptability, expression form and tolerance across environmental components (thermal, visual, air quality, acoustic and vibration). The standard does not prescribe specific scales, does not set out survey methodology in full, and excludes scales related to pain, injury risk or where effects on performance (e.g., reading, manual tasks or mood) are the primary concern.

Key topics and requirements

• Principles for constructing reliable, comparable subjective judgement scales (response format, labelling, polarity and anchoring).
• Types of scales covered: perception, comfort, preference, acceptability, expression form and tolerance.
• Environmental domains addressed: thermal, visual, air quality, acoustic and vibration environments.
• Guidance on scale interpretation and examples of practical application (but no mandatory, prescriptive scales).
• Recommendations for combining subjective scales with objective measurements (used in environmental surveys but not providing full survey methodology).
• Explicit exclusions: pain/injury scales and scales primarily about task performance or psychological conditions such as mood.

Typical use and users

Used by ergonomists, human-factors specialists, indoor-environment researchers, HVAC and building services engineers, occupational health professionals, product and workplace designers, and survey practitioners who need to design or apply subjective measurement scales for environmental assessment. The guidance is applicable when developing questionnaires, environmental surveys, field studies and combined subjective–objective assessments.

Related standards

ISO 10551 is intended to be used alongside other ergonomics and environmental assessment standards. Relevant related standards include ISO 28802 (environmental survey methods that combine physical measurements with subjective responses), ISO 7730 (analytical methods and criteria for thermal comfort, PMV/PPD approaches) and standards on instrumentation such as ISO 7726 (instruments and measurement methods for thermal environment quantities). These complementary documents cover survey design, analytical comfort indices and measurement practice.

Keywords

subjective judgement scales; ergonomics; physical environment; thermal comfort; perception scales; comfort scales; acceptability; environmental assessment; survey scales; ISO 10551:2019.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 10551:2019 is an International Standard giving principles and examples for constructing subjective judgement scales to assess people’s responses to physical environments (thermal, visual, air quality, acoustic and vibration).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers how to design and label subjective scales (types, polarity, anchors, response formats) and gives examples of application for scales of perception, comfort, preference, acceptability, expression form and tolerance; it does not mandate specific scales and excludes pain/injury-related scales.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Ergonomists, human-factors professionals, building and HVAC engineers, occupational-health practitioners, researchers and survey designers who need standardized guidance for developing or applying subjective environmental scales.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 10551:2019 is the current (2nd) edition replacing the earlier 1995 edition; bibliographic records show the 2019 edition as the active published version.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is part of the ergonomics of the physical environment family of standards (ISO/TC 159/SC 5), and is commonly used together with standards such as ISO 28802 (environmental surveys), ISO 7730 (thermal comfort indices) and ISO 7726 (measurement instruments).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Subjective judgement scales, ergonomics, thermal environment, comfort, perception, acceptability, environmental survey, ISO 10551.