Sizing up Royal Australian Navy sailors

In order to maximise crew performance, anthropometric data, that is, data on the lengths, breadths, depths, and circumferences of the human body, should be incorporated into design for all equipment, and platform spaces involving human life and work at sea. For a military platform an additional imperative is sustainment of the crew’s warfighting capability. In support of the Australian Defence Force maritime procurement program, existing anthropometric datasets were analysed and found to need updating. To ensure relevant anthropometric data are available an Anthropometric Survey of the Royal Australian Navy (ASRAN) was completed in 2015 on 1,322 (232 female and 1,090 male) Permanent RAN personnel aged 18–54 years from Fleet Base East and West. Eighty-seven digital and manual measures required for ship, equipment and clothing design were measured. This report outlines the basis of sampling for ASRAN, a comparison with other nation’s Navies and also the Australian Army. The summary statistics from ASRAN will be optimised for use by the future submarine and future frigate programs, enabling objective accuracy in the use of 3D engineering design technology. In addition, the data will be used to update habitability design guidance documents. This will aim to ensure the safety, working and living conditions are appropriately maintained on what can be severely space constrained platforms.