Introduction: Anthropometric dimensions allow the world of work to adapt the means and the workplace to the workers' characteristics and improve their jobs. It is necessary to have alternatives to carry out anthropometric measurements, given the costs of measuring instruments and the limited availability of such instruments in occupational health and safety services.
Aim: To compare standing anthropometric measurements using anthropometric tables versus the Harpenden anthropometer.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with a population of 26 workers (11 men and 15 women). The following measurements were taken in a standing position with the anthropometric tables and the Holtein Harpenden anthropometer: height, shoulder height, height at the middle finger, and length of the upper limb, using the Student's t-hypothesis test to compare both measurements.
Results: The values of the anthropometric variables measured by both the anthropometric tables and the Harpenden anthropometer did not present significant statistical differences, both in men and women.
Conclusions: The pilot test showed that using anthropometric tables in anthropometric studies constitutes a low-cost alternative.