REBA Score Research Articles

Relationship between Improper Working Posture among Maintenance Workers using Different Assessment Methods

The purpose of ergonomics is to take advantage of human ability limits in order to implement an efficient and comfortable interface to use. When the worker is performing an improper posture, it may cause the worker to feel discomfort when doing the work and may lead to getting musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). According to past research, there is a relationship between improper working posture and MSDs. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between improper working posture at maintenance workers using different assessment methods. CMDQ, RULA, REBA and ENBORA were conducted among 34 maintenance workers around Parit Raja, Johor. The selected maintenance workers were interviewed via CMDQ and RULA, REBA and ENBORA were conducted based on their working posture at the time of the interview. The data were analysed and compared based on similar observed body parts. Among the respondents, lower back discomfort was most prevalent (70.59%), followed by right and left shoulders (58.82% and 55.88%, respectively) as well as right wrist (29.47%) and left wrist (55.88%). The mean RULA Score for the respondents was 4.76 (SD=1.37), which indicates a medium risk level. The mean REBA Score for the respondents was 7.41 (SD=2.26), which indicates the average REBA risk level was high. The mean value for the ENBORA Final Score was 33.56 (SD=11.98), indicating that the respondents overall have a negligible risk of getting MSD based on their working posture. The body parts compared in CMDQ, RULA, REBA and ENBORA were neck, upper arm, lower arm, wrist and trunk. Based on findings, ENBORA has the highest Pearson Correlation to CMDQ followed by RULA and REBA. In conclusion, the maintenance workers were found to be exposed to ergonomic risk factors (ERFs) and ergonomics improvement were needed in future.

A Study of the Design of Lifting Trolley for the Suspending Agent Pouring Process in Chemical Industry

The raw material preparation process in the chemical industry is still done manually by pouring the suspending agent. Workers pour 20kg boxes with a frequency of 20-30 boxes every day. These activities have the potential to cause musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study is to provide an assessment and design a lifter as a conveyance that has the potential to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This study used the Nordic questionnaire to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints, REBA to assess work posture, and QFD as an approach in designing the lifter. Based on the results of the questionnaire, the most complaints were felt in the upper body. And based on the assessment with the QEC method, the average total exposure received by workers is 64.63%. This is evidenced by the results of the assessment of 60 work postures during the suspending agent pouring process which obtained the highest REBA mode value with a score of 8 (high risk). Based on the QFD method, this lifting trolley produces 11 target specifications. After simulating the design of the lifting trolley, the REBA score decreased to 3 (low risk). This shows that the designed trolley has the potential to be applied to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in workers in the chemical industry.

Work Posture analysis Using the Rapid Entire Body Method Assessment (REBA) to Reduce the Risk of Injury in Line I Employees Upper Production PT. XYZ

This research aim to solve the problem of ergonomic standart in the process of making an upper shoes by implementing Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). This method is suitable to solve job body posture problem of the worker of PT XYZ based in Sidoarjo. PT XYZ is an international company and one of the expantion company from Denmark, they produce high quality shoes with more than 7000 workers. There are several plaint from the worker that they had a featigue in some part of te body. REBA assess the score from the top of the body to the bottom of the body and giving report are report of the posture risk. By using this method, the solution can be found with giving the right posture of the worker body while working their duty. The result of the research are confirmed to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) the posture need an improvement by changing the moves of trunk, upper arm, and wrist. Reba score are known in 6 and it’s increasing to 3 after the improvement.

Analisa Risiko Postur Tubuh Pekerja dengan Metode NBM, REBA dan RULA di Unit Usaha Jamur Tiram Putih Fungo Pride

Fungo Pride is a business unit engaged in the cultivation of white oyster mushrooms. Unhealthy environmental conditions and work stations certainly create a work environment that is less comfortable, unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient. So that the condition of the work station can reduce performance and cause risks. This study aims to analyze the work risks of the Fungo Pride Business Unit associated with non-ergonomic work positions using the NBM, REBA & RULA methods. From the results of this study, it was found that the NBM analysis found 50% low risk and 50% moderate risk. For REBA analysis, it is found that the work risk of employees is in a very high category with a final REBA score of 13 so it requires corrective action as soon as possible. And based on the RULA analysis, the results were in the very high category, namely the grand score of RULA 8, so it is necessary to have an investigation and repair as soon as possible. With the results of these studies, it is hoped that there will be further research that discusses ergonomic factors with productivity in the oyster mushroom cultivation business unit.

MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS RISK ASSESSMENT AMONG SMALL TOFU FACTORY WORKERS IN TANGERANG CITY: AN INDONESIAN CASE STUDY

Introduction: Conventional tofu production involves various manual handling tasks which increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). A previous study found a very high risk of MSDs in tofu manufacturing, especially in the filtering task with a REBA score of 13. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the risk of MSDs in tofu factory workers. Methods: Workplace observations and unstructured interviews were conducted at two traditional tofu factories (X and Y) and a more modern silken tofu factory to identify the risk of MSDs. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the Quick Exposure Check (QEC) method were used to determine the prevalence and risk of MSDs. A total of 52 workers voluntarily participated in this study. Results: The traditional and silken tofu manufacturing processes involved seven and fifteen tasks, respectively. This study found that workers in the traditional tofu factories had a higher prevalence of MSDs than those in the silken tofu factory. In the past 12 months, traditional tofu factory workers reported MSDs in their lower back (94.4%), right shoulder (77.8%), and neck (61.1%). On the other hand, silken tofu factory workers reported MSDs in their lower back (81.3%), right shoulder (62.5%), and upper back region (56.3%). According to the QEC method, grinding and filtering were identified as two tasks with a very high risk of MSDs in the traditional factories. In addition, transferring tofu crates from cold water to hot water tub in the silken factory was identified as a very high risk of MSDs. Conclusion: Intervention is necessary for tasks with a very high risk of MSDs in small tofu factories.

A holistic methodology for mitigating awkward postural risks: Evidence from South Indian small-scale industries.

Small-scale industries (SSI) are the global economy's backbone since most industrial workers are connected. Most of these workers are contractual and temporary without appropriate training. Also, the SSI does not have a standard workplace with an appropriate layout and infrastructure, as they manage with minimum resources. Therefore, the work hazards, i.e., musculoskeletal disorders and fatigue, often go unnoticed as holistic postural risk methodology is still scarce for identifying the awkward postures in SSI. The present study proposes a novel holistic methodology to track and mitigate awkward postural risks in human-physical activities in SSI. To determine the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a case study is presented in the South Indian Pump industry, wherein a critical workstation with a complex ergonomic work environment is employed. An ergonomic evaluation was conducted empirically and numerically in the workplaces using Digital Human Models. In numerical evaluation, three virtual workspaces have been created to redesign the identified crucial workstation, focusing on ergonomics and workflow. The results obtained from the case study are encouraging for to use of the novel methodology in SSI. The case study reports that the proposed design significantly reduced the REBA score and WISHA lifting index by 6 and 1.20, respectively, without significant investment. The proposed methodology could encourage research to identify awkward posture in SSI.

Ergonomically optimized path-planning for industrial human–robot collaboration

This paper focuses on improving the ergonomics of industrial workers. It addresses the critical implications of poor ergonomics, which can lead to musculoskeletal disorders over time. A novel methodology for a path-planning algorithm designed for human–robot collaboration was introduced to tackle this challenge. The algorithm’s essential contribution lies in determining the most ergonomic path for a robot to guide a human’s hand during task execution, facilitating a transition toward an optimized body configuration. The algorithm effectively charts the ergonomic path by adopting a Cartesian path-planning approach and employing the cell decomposition method. The methodology was implemented on a dataset of ten individuals, representing a diverse group of male and female subjects aged between 20 and 35, with one participant being left-handed. The algorithm was applied to three different activities: “stacking an item,” “taking an object from a shelf,” and “assembling an object by sitting over a table.” The results demonstrated a significant improvement in the REBA score (as a measure of ergonomics condition) of the individuals after applying the algorithm. This outcome reinforces the efficacy of the methodology in enhancing the ergonomics of industrial workers. Furthermore, the study compared the performance of A* with three heuristic functions against Dijkstra’s algorithm, aiming to identify the most effective approach for achieving optimal ergonomic paths in human–robot collaboration. The findings revealed that A* with a specific heuristic function surpassed Dijkstra’s algorithm, underscoring its superiority in this context. The findings highlight the potential for optimizing human–robot collaboration and offer practical implications for designing more efficient industrial work environments.

Total ergonomics approach to analyze work system and propose improvements for increasing worker productivity

UD. TGM is one of SMEs located in Blora, Central of Java. They can produce 60 – 150 pallets of paving block per hour. Based on observations and measurements, the noise level around production machines is above 90 dB and the temperature around UD. TGM reaches 34°C. Those conditions do not match with the regulatory standards by Ministry of Health of Republic Indonesia. In addition, based on NBM questionnaire, there were 10 complaints of very sick, 7 complaints of pain, and 7 complaints of moderate pain. The worker's cardiovascular load was 36.4% (or needed improvement). Based on the REBA assessment informed that a corrective action needs to be taken immediately. This study aims to analyze the work system totally and provide improvement recommendations. We proposed recommendations by total ergonomics approach collaborated with fishbone diagrams, tree diagrams, and PDPC diagrams. The recommendations were UD. TGM need to create a supervisory team, create work instructions, design additional of transportation tools like a hand stacker, replace dirt floors with paving, enlarge air ventilation holes and add roof height. Then, the evaluation of the recommendations by Catia software, the REBA score was reduced from level 3 to level 1 (or low risk).

Implementation of real-time construction worker posture analysis during flooring in construction

Construction industry is one of the highly risky industries with more number of accident and injuries. The increasing number of injuries caused by repetitive motion, excessive force and awkward postures, ergonomics has become a critical factor in workplace safety. The postures related to the corresponding works are finding out by taking their live images during their work using the Software POSTUREZONE. For more accuracy the same worker’s posture from different sides are find out and after that angles obtained is collected for assessing risk using REBA worksheet. In this project risk is analyzed using work sampling observation area made on workers involved in the task. The hazards are then evaluated using flooring. REBA Score is then developed to describe the posture, repetition of work and the level of risk. In this method ergonomic risk factors are identified based on checklist or score. It can provide comprehensive results in determining a good work position and it can minimize the risk of work accidents for operators when working.

Analisis Postur Kerja dengan Menggunakan Perbandingan Metode RULA REBA dan OWAS pada Pegawai PT. Surya Segara Safety Marine Paper

PT Surya Segara Safety Marine is a marine equipment trading and maritime security equipment servicing company in Indonesia that has four branches in Balikpapan, Makassar, Banyuwangi, and Bali. In their work, there are workers who have not implemented ergonomic working positions. This research aims to determine the action level value from the comparison scores of the RULA, REBA, and OWAS methods. From the research that has been carried out, it is known from the NBM questionnaire that 77% of workers experience back pain and 70% experience low back pain. Regarding the scoring results, a RULA score of 7 is very high risk, a REBA score of 9 is high risk, and an OWAS score of 2 is moderate risk. Based on the data obtained, the RULA method is most suitable because of the complaints felt by workers in the upper body. So a proposal to improve a table that can rotate and a chair that can be adjusted in height was made, which received a RULA score of 2 out of 7, where this value was better than the initial score before the improvement proposal was given.

ANALISIS POSTUR KERJA DAN RISIKO KESELAMATAN DAN KESEHATAN KERJA MENGGUNAKAN METODE REBA DAN JSA

CV Barokah Logam Sejahtera is a company engaged in metal casting which is located in Ceper, Klaten, Central Java. As a foundry company, CV Barokah Logam Sejahtera has a mainstay product, namely Grinding Balls. The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations for improving work posture based on the level of complaints using the JSA method and the results of measuring work posture based on the REBA method. The REBA method is a method that measures the entire body posture of workers, which is used to identify MSD's complaints. The JSA method is a method for measuring the level of risk of occupational hazards. Based on this research, the score results obtained on the REBA method, for workers in the smelting section with a REBA score of 8, workers in the casting section with a REBA score of 9 and workers in the finishing section with a score of REBA 7. The REBA score obtained is included in the category of need and needs immediate improvement. After the proposal for improving new posture, the smelting and finishing workers have a REBA score of 3, including the low category that may need improvement. Workers in the casting section with a REBA score of 4 are in the moderate category, the category needs improvement. As for the JSA method, it can be concluded that in the identification of hazards in CV Barokah Logam Sejahtera workers there is a danger of posture ergonomics. The risk assessment before and after being given control recommendations has decreased.

Postural stress and risk conditions in manual load handling of Chilean industrial workers

Introduction: Although, there is a current regulatory framework for optimal manual handling of loads to preserve health conditions in the industrial sector, technical assessment and the use of certain instruments are still required for the diagnosis of occupational hazards. This study aimed to identify the occupational hazards associated with manual load handling in industry workers and estimate those resulting from postural stress. Methods: Fifty-two (52) industry workers took part in this cross-sectional study. All participants were evaluated using the Manual Handling Guide and the Reba assessment tool. Subjects were characterized, and risks associated with different tasks were detected. Results: 59.6% of workers were between 18 and 45 years old. Lifting, lowering, and transporting loads activities had a repetitive task risk of 94%, exceeding the weight limit in 85.7% of cases. Pushing and pulling activities, mostly showed a working postural risk of 82% and a high perception of initial effort (Borg> 8). Reba score warned to intervene immediately in both types of tasks. Conclusion: Risk from the manual handling of loads found in this study constitutes an alert that suggests reviewing compliance with the current regulation, as well as effective use of working pauses and the improvement of strategies to minimize physical efforts used by workers.

ANALISIS POSTUR KERJA PETUGAS PELAYANAN TEKNIK PT. PLN ULP KENDAL DENGAN METODE NORDIC BODY MAP DAN RAPID ENTIRE BODY ASSESSMENT

Work posture or work attitude is all forms of movement that a person does while working. A good work posture is called ergonomics, which is the science of applying and adjusting work positions so as to minimize the occurrence of injuries while working. Every aspect requires a good working position, including the technical service technicians of PT. PLN ULP Kendal. This research is a qualitative field research in the form of analysis on technical service technicians of PT. PLN ULP Kendal. Data were obtained by using questionnaires and field observations. The researcher distributed questionnaires to the technicians and then observed the technicians' work positions using the field observation method. Furthermore, the results of the questionnaire were calculated using the Nordic Body Map table formula and stated that most technicians felt pain in the waist with 7 officers feeling sick. Then the results of the observations were analyzed using the REBA method and resulted in a REBA score of 3 and entered the Action Level 1 category which means the Risk Level is "Low".

Proposed Design of Assistant Tools to Reduce the Risk of Disorders (MSDS) Operator of Weaving Work Station CV XYZ

The weaving operator of CV XYZ has an unergonomic work posture with a bent back and unbalanced legs at work. This non-ergonomic condition was identified by using the Nordic Body Map questionnaire to find out complaints on 28 body parts of three operators. From the identification of weaving operators using a nordic body map, it is known that there are complaints on the back, waist, and hips of the body. Identification using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment method shows that the final result of the assessment is 11, which means that there is a need for improvement now on the operator's work posture. The results of the QEC method show an exposure score of 97.12% for operator 3 and the action that must be taken is research and changes now. To reduce the risk of high work posture, a proposal for improving the working posture of the weaving machine set up operator was formulated by designing a manual scissor lift tool. In the process of designing tools, Indonesian anthropometric data is needed. The stages of designing tools are identifying operator needs, conceptualizing tools using a need metric matrix, selecting tools concepts with combination tables and scoring concepts and describing the design of tools using AutoCAD and CATIA software. From the results of the selection of several alternative concepts, a tool in the form of a manual scissor lift was chosen which has a combination of elements, namely a square working platform design, using 2 hydraulics and raw materials made of steel. Meanwhile, the manual scissor lift specification has a maximum height of 85 cm, a footing length of 70 cm and a footing width of 46 cm. It is known that before the proposed improvement, the final result of the REBA score was 11 and after the improvement the final result of the REBA score was 4 which indicates that the operator's work posture has improved after using the assistive device, especially in the arms, legs and back of the operator

Ergonomic Evaluation of a Walking Type Power Operated Maize Stalk Harvester

Background: Ergonomics is a science that focuses its study on improved design as a remedial measure to fatigue and discomfort in humans. Its objective is to optimize health, safety and productivity. Methods: In the current study, an ergonomic evaluation of walking type power operated maize stalk harvester was done with traditional system. Result: It was observed that the average working heart rate, working oxygen consumption rate, ODR, BPDS and, REBA score was 93.3 beats/min, 0.582 litre/min, 1.1 (uncomfortable), 23.5, 5.3 (medium risk) respectively. The working angles of different body parts like trunk, neck, leg, upper arm, lower arm and wrist were studied and are 9.1o, 7.3o, 41.8o, 23.6o, 48.2o and 7.9o for developed prototype respectively.

Industrial Ergonomics Risk Analysis Based on 3D-Human Pose Estimation

Ergonomics is important for smooth and sustainable industrial operation. In the manufacturing industry, due to poor workstation design, workers frequently and repeatedly experience uncomfortable postures and actions (reaching above their shoulders, bending at awkward angles, bending backwards, flexing their elbows/wrists, etc.). Incorrect working postures often lead to specialized injuries, which reduce productivity and increase development costs. Therefore, examining workers’ ergonomic postures becomes the basis for recognizing, correcting, and preventing bad postures in the workplace. This paper proposes a new framework to carry out risk analysis of workers’ ergonomic postures through 3D human pose estimation from video/image sequences of their actions. The top-down network calculates human body joints when bending, and those angles are compared with the ground truth body bending data collected manually by expert observation. Here, we introduce the body angle reliability decision (BARD) method to calculate the most reliable body-bending angles to ensure safe working angles for workers that conform to ergonomic requirements in the manufacturing industry. We found a significant result with high accuracy in the score for ergonomics we used for this experiment. For good postures with high reliability, we have OWAS score 94%, REBA score 93%, and RULA score 93% accuracy. Similarly, for occluded postures we have OWAS score 83%, REBA score 82%, and RULA score 82%, compared with expert’s occluded scores. For future study, our research can be a reference for ergonomics score analysis with 3D pose estimation of workers’ postures.

Usulan Perancangan Sistem Kerja Dengan Metode Macro Ergonomics Analysis and Design (MEAD) pada Stasiun Kerja Percetakan di UD. Roti Rachmat Purwarkarta

The rapid advancement of technology today has helped humans in completing their work. Some jobs that require physical activity can still be observed in various types of industrial sectors. Bad impacts can occur if the workload is too heavy and is done repeatedly so that it can affect the health of workers and decrease productivity. UD. Roti Rachmat Purwakarta is a business engaged in the food industry for making bread. The actual condition is that many activities are carried out manually with non-ergonomic working positions. This study aimed to identify and analyze complaints of the musculoskeletal system on the operator and provide suggestions for designing an ergonomic work system. To improve the work system, namely by using the Macroergonomic Analysis and Design (MEAD) method. Complaint identification was carried out using the Standard Nordic Questionnaire (SNQ). The results showed that the pain experienced by the operator at the printing work station was in the left and right shoulders, back, waist, forearms, wrists, knees, and right hands and calves. The result of the REBA score is 10 which indicates the risk levels are high. The results of the proposed work system design are in the form of a hydraulic trolley designed through an anthropometric approach using the 95th percentile so that the dimensions of the worker's body at the printing work station are shoulder width 45.495 cm, maximum grip diameter of 4.735 cm, elbow height 110.752 cm, foot length 25.639 cm and a foot width of 10.510 cm.

The Effect of Work Posture on Work Fatigue in the Metal Moulding Department of XYZ Company

One of the things that can cause a work accident is manual material handling (MMH). Manual material handling activities are still often found in modern industries because MMH activities are easy to apply, cheap, and very flexible to do. The poor manual activity of material handling can lead to musculoskeletal complaints, spinal cord injuries, and work fatigue. If the worker does his job with a work posture that is not ergonomic then the worker will be vulnerable to work fatigue. Work posture problems and work fatigue are also experienced in XYZ Company which is one of the companies engaged in the metal casting industry. Therefore, the study aimed to examine the effect of work posture on the level of work fatigue in the metal moulding department of XYZ Company using NBM questionnaires, SOFI questionnaires, and REBA methods. The results showed that the segment of the body most felt pain by the operator was the left leg. Wherefrom the results of identification of working posture there is one operator who gets a REBA score of 10 and three operators who get a REBA score of 12. Then, the level of work fatigue from the four operators, namely, amounted to 3.46; 3.21; 2.7; and 3.02. The four values have a value that is in the SOFI score range of 1.13-4.87 which means all four operators experience moderate work fatigue. Then a regression test was conducted to determine the effect of both variables and obtained a correlation coefficient (r) value of 0.754; and a coefficient of determination (R Square) of 0.569. These values show the effect of work posture on work fatigue has a strong relationship and an effect of 56.9%.

SEE: A proactive strategy-centric and deep learning-based ergonomic risk assessment system for risky posture recognition

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are serious workplace injuries that put workers' safety at risk. However, traditional WMSD assessments are based on the human-evaluation strategy (HES), requiring human intervention. Proactive strategy (PAS)-oriented WMSDs assessments collect data using posture data tags and special semi-human–machine equipment to improve efficiency and reduce human efforts to capture specific postures in a real-world setting. Meanwhile, more research on applying artificial intelligence-based pose machines for musculoskeletal risk assessment in various workplaces is needed. Hence, this study proposed a holistic posture acquisition and ergonomic risk analysis model with the PAS-oriented philosophy for developing a smartphone-based and workplace-based risk assessment system for WMSDs. The Convolutional Pose Machines (CPM) method was combined with a rapid entire body assessment method for the system's design. Finally, the smart ergonomic explorer (SEE) system includes three subsystems: an automotive scene capturer, an ergonomic risk level calculator, and a risk assessment reporter. A musculoskeletal risk assessment experiment with 13 poses was also carried out to validate the SEE system and compare its accuracy with manual evaluation. The result shows good agreement with the REBA score, with an average proportion agreement index (P0) of 0.962 and kappa of 0.82. It indicates that the proposed system can not only accurately analyze the working posture, but also accurately evaluate the total REBA scores. This study is hoped to provide practical advice and implications for achieving a more effective empirical response for WMSD assessment.

REBA assessment of patient transfer work using sliding board and Motorized Patient Transfer Device

Bed to stretcher patient transfer by nurses involves significant manual force at various postures and could lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Motorized Patient Transfer Device (MPTD) is a newly available patient transfer intervention and its WMSDs risk have not yet been studied. The existing REBA assessment is unable to track the continuous load changes and to represent the actual load applied. The load cell set-ups in previous studies were unable to obtain the hand forces of lateral pushing. This study aimed (1) to identify and compare the hand forces for all the subtasks involved in sliding board and MPTD using the data from force plates and IMUs; (2) to evaluate the REBA score by using both instantaneous measured force and constant estimated force settings within a cycle of patient transfer task; and (3) to evaluate the WMSDs risk of the sliding board and MPTD. Seven nurses carried out all the tasks using the MPTD and the sliding board. Postural angles and external forces from the nurses were measured using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and force plates, respectively, as the inputs for the automated REBA system. The hand force was comparatively higher for the subtasks of the lateral pushing (302.64 ± 136.45N) and lateral pulling (359.67 ± 150.14N) compared to the rest of the subtasks. The constant estimated force notably underestimated the REBA score for the lateral pushing by 1.76 points (95% Confidence Interval; CI [1.42, 2.10], p < 0.001). MPTD significantly reduced the mean peak REBA score by 4.21 (95% CI [3.77, 4.65], p < 0.001) and external force acting on the nurses by 180.41N (95% CI [111.68, 249.14], p < 0.001) compared to the sliding board. These findings proved that MPTD can reduce the WMSDs risk, pushing, and pulling force for the patient transfer.Relevance to the industry: MPTD should be implemented in the hospital for the lateral transfer instead of using the sliding board. Its main benefit is eliminating the strenuous subtasks of lateral pushing and pulling. It can handle any type of patient such as bedridden, dependent, big size or overweight patient.