I don’t think a “work bench” would work as a place to sit. The “table” height is usually at waist height, which means if you sit on what had been the work surface…..nobody (except possibly Paul Bunyan) would have their feet hit the ground.
And if you look at the castings…the feet are at different heights, so you would have to prop the rear legs on some sort of blocking. And the “seat back” is absolutely vertical, which would be quite uncomfortable. Most seat backs are slightly reclined. Work benches are meant to be just that…..and not a place to sit.
Keith