Why did low ceilings create difficulties for bakery workers in tenement cellars?

In the tenement cellars where many New York City bakeries were located during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the ceilings were as low as five and a half feet (about one and a half meters) above the floor. This height forced most workers to stoop while performing their duties, creating significant physical difficulty and discomfort in their already harsh working environments.1