REBA Score Research Articles

A Neural Networks Approach to Determine Factors Associated With Self-Reported Discomfort in Picking Tasks.

A neural networks approach has been proposed to handle various inputs such as postural, anthropometric and environmental variables in order to estimate self-reported discomfort in picking tasks. An input reduction method has been proposed, reducing the input variables to the minimum data required to estimate self-reported discomfort with similar accuracy as the neural network fed with all variables. Previous works have attempted to explore the relationship between several factors and self-reported discomfort using observational methods. The results showed that this relationship was not a simple linear relationship. Another study used neural networks to model the function returning reported discomfort according to static posture, age, and anthropometrics variables. The results demonstrated the model's ability to predict reported discomfort. But all the available variables were used to design the neural network. Eleven subjects carried-out picking tasks with various masses (0, 1, 3 kg) and imposed duration (5, 10, or 15 s). Continuous REBA score, anthropometric and environmental data were computed, and subjects' discomfort were collected. The data set of this work consisted in the computed continuous REBA score, anthropometric, environmental data and collected subjects' discomfort. The results showed that the correlation between the estimated and experimental tested data was equal to 0.775 when using all the 14 available variables. After data reduction, only 6 variables were left, with a very close performance when predicting discomfort. A neural network approach has been proposed to estimate self-reported discomfort according to a minimum set of postural, anthropometric and environmental variables in picking tasks. This method has the potential to support ergonomists in workstation designing processes, by adding discomfort prediction to virtual manikins' behaviors in simulation tools.

Evaluasi Aktivitas Manual Material Handling Dengan Menggunakan Metode Biomekanika Kerja Pada Pengangkatan Thiner di Bagian Warehouse

In doing a job manually such as moving, lifting a certain material needs to be evaluated to minimize the risk of work accidents. The research that will be conducted is the evaluation of manual material handling on the removal and removal of thiners. The purpose of this study was to determine the application of work biomechanics in minimizing the risk of spinal cord injury and providing improvement in work activities. The methods used in this research are Nordic Body Map, NIOSH, Rapid Entire Body Assessment, L5 / S1 (Fc) Force and Energy Consumptions. The results of this study were found that several parts of the workers' body muscles were injured, such as the neck, left and right shoulders, arms and wrists, back and waist. The RWL and Li values ​​after repairs where is RWL exceeded the Load Constant value of 20 kg, and the Li value <1 (no risk). Then the work category level which was originally light-moderate work changed to light work. Furthermore, the original REBA score got a score of 5 to 3 (level 1). And the results of the compressive force against L5 / S1 have values ​​of Fc <AL and Fc < MPL.

Analisis Postur Kerja Pada Proses Pemindahan Pasir Untuk Mengidentifikasi Resiko Kecelakaan Kerja

This study aims to know about the assessment of REBA posture method on sand removal work in the prevention of Musculoskletal Disorder. Workers who perform sand removal on UD XYZ are influenced by work posture, work position, and body performance. From the measurement results obtained the value of Rapid Entire Body Assessment REBA is 10, it can be seen the value of 9 is on the score of 8-10 which means that the work of the operator when moving the sand with a shovel has a high risk level and need action as soon as possible. the results obtained in carrying out the sand shoveling activity by repeatedly scoring the REBA score is 9 and it is stated that the activity has the potential to pose a risk of injury to the worker

Repair Design of Packing Tube Operator Work Aids in the Packaging Industry with Nordic Body Map and Anthropometry Methods

Betts Indonesia a company engaged in manufacturing tube manufacture. This study aims to determine a comfortable working posture to optimize performance and be able to minimize injuries to body parts. Data processing was carried out by measuring body dimensions and distributing research questionnaires to 40 respondents. The method used to see how severe the level of risk of injury is using REBA. Based on the initial calculation process at the packing tube work station using the REBA method, it has an average risk level of 11 which is included in the high risk level and needs to be repaired immediately. After repairing the work aids, the REBA score was 6 which was included in the medium level. The work aids that have been made can help improve the operator's work posture so as to minimize the risk of injury and make it easier to check the product and reduce the level of defects in the product.

Ergonomic assessment of musculoskeletal risk among a sample of Portuguese emergency medical technicians

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare professionals is high, patient handling tasks being one of the main causes. This article focused on the analysis of the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in patient handling tasks, performed by emergency medical technicians. The study included 20 technicians from the National Institute of Medical Emergency and a total of 292 analysed postures. REBA results indicated that, of the 292 postures, 47% presented a medium risk and 29% high risk. The task “transport of the chair on the stairs - bottom position” obtained the most critical REBA score and the task “placement of the stair chair into the ambulance - top position” involved higher effort, according to the technicians’ perception. With this study, it was possible to diagnose the risk level of musculoskeletal disorders in tasks of manual handling performed by these professionals, allowing to identify specific actions that can compromise their health and safety. Hereafter, based on risk factors identification, it is relevant to the sector to develop solutions for these first responders, focusing on design features, based on an ergonomics participatory methodology.

Ergonomic analysis of working posture of gardeners engaged in selected gardening activities

Manual labour are inevitable and common in gardening with repetitive movement in awkward posture for long duration and no frequent breaks. This overexertion leads to poor occupational health effect on workers such as postural discomfort. This study intended to analyze the work posture of workers engaged in gardening. The study was conducted in two educational institutes of Ludhiana city. A total of 30 male gardeners were selected purposively as respondents, 15 each from both the institutes. A self constructed interview schedule was used to collect the primary data regarding gardening activities and the drudgery experienced by respondents. Also, a detailed analysis of working posture was carried out by using REBA, OWAS, WERA worksheet. Results revealed that the respondents perceived high drudgery level while performing weeding (mean score=2.89), hedge cutting (mean score=2.55) and potting activity (mean score=2.26). Thus, these three activities were selected for postural analysis. REBA score inferred that risk was found to be high in all the selected gardening activities i.e., the score was greater than 7. In OWAS analysis,it was found that corrective measures is required for weeding (mean score=3.53), hedge cutting (mean score=3.36), and potting (mean score=1.73) activity. The WERA score analysis revealed that the risk was found to be medium for the selected gardening activitys.

Risk Assessment Of Working Posture And Implementation Of New Workstation To Increase Productivity

In the production process of plastic spoons, workers who run the separation process are working in a less ergonomic condition. In consequence, the production process lacks productivity because the task requires relatively longer time than it should. Utilizing Nordic Body Map analysis method, this study found that there are physical complaints among workers. More specifically, using Quick Exposure Score method, the exposure score on the separation station is at 59.09% and at 67.90% on the packaging station. Using REBA method of analysis, this research obtains REBA score at 10 on the separation station and 9 on the packaging station. Using WERA method, the last score on the separation station is at 40 and the packaging station at 33. The standard time based on the current workstations is at 127.97 seconds. Improvement is manifested by designing working tools. The implementation of the new tool results in the decrease of biomechanical complaints and exposure level at 49.38%, REBA score at 3, and WERA score at 26 on the separation, arrangement, and counting process. This research also results in WERA score at 25 during the process of inserting packing output. The total of standard time is reduced up to 62.10%.

Designing Press Tool For Carton Finishing Process To Improve Productivity And Efficiency

Using cardboard as packaging protects the product from damage while at the same time improving its appearance to attract the attention of customers. The packaging company, PT. XYZ, works manually without using machines or tools. As a result, inefficiencies tend to occur because workers waste time and energy. It also has the potential to cause extreme fatigue and workplace accidents. This research is a field of ergonomics research, the aim is to understand the physical complaints of workers, the work sequence of workers, to then design a helper tool and finally evaluate the work posture of workers, before and after repairs. To improve workers ‘conditions, researchers collected workers’ identities and analyzed their physical complaints using questionnaires, including Nordic Body Map, REBA analysis, OWAS analysis, MFA analysis, and measurement of right and left hand maps in standard time. We also identified workers’ needs, initial specifications to conceptualize the design of assistive devices. We obtain the design concept by determining the final specifications and checking the data using CATIA software. The final REBA score after applying the helper press yields a score of 3 on pressing and folding cartons. Improvements also managed to eliminate lifting and lowering activities during the finishing process. Analysis result of the working conditions before and after implementation are as follows; cycle time decreased from 320.23 to 275 seconds (14.12%), normal time decreased from 336.24 to 299.75 seconds (11%), and standard time dropped from 437.11 to 374.69 seconds (14, 3%).

Improvement of Cast House Operator Work Posture with REBA Method at PT XYZ

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are diseases in the human muscular tissue system in the back, wrist, knees and shoulders caused by incorrect postur during work activities. This study was conducted to determine the level of risk MSDs on operator work activities at the cast house work station. Activities under study are activities; surface repair tap hole, checking temperature iron, and take iron sample. These activities are carried out repeatedly, incorrect work posture and the presence of heat from work environment factors that affect the whole body. This makes the operator complain of pain in parts of the body at risk of developing musculoskeletal complaints. This study was an observational study using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment method and the Nordic Body Map instrumen. The result of the Nordic Body Map instrumen for 20 operators at the cast house work station showed that there were 21 complaints against operator. Based on the measurement of cast house operators the surface repair activity of tap holes has a “high” risk value for MSDs (REBA Score 9), checking temperature iron activities have a “low” risk value for MSDs. Proposed improvement to prevent is to improve the procedur in the surface repair activities of tap holes, where when the process of sticking the dough is done in front of the tap hole is changed by attaching it to the mud gun nozzle tip. After the proposed improvement, the result of the Nordic Body Map instrumen showed no complaints and the measurement of the tap hole had a “low” risk value for the occurrence of MSDs (REBA Score 3).

Temizlik Çalışanlarının Çalışma Duruş Pozisyonlarının REBA Yöntemi ile Ergonomik Açıdan İncelenmesi

İşyerlerindeki yoğun çalışma temposu, çalışanların uygun olmayan fiziki şekillerde çalışmasına ve bunun sonucunda kas iskelet sistemi hastalıklarına neden olmaktadır. Bu çalışmada REBA yönteminin seçilmesi-nin nedeni duruş bozukluklarını nicel olarak kategorize edilmesi ve hızlı bir şekilde tüm vücut duruş po-zisyonu analizi yapılabilmesidir. Bu çalışmada iki farklı işyerinde beş farklı temizlik işi ve on iki çalışma duruş pozisyonu REBA yöntemi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. İki iş yerinde toplam 30 temizlik çalışanı görev yapmakta ve aynı temizlik işleri yapılmaktadır. Yapılan temizlik işleri analiz edildiğinde 11 farklı iş ve 51 çalışma duruş pozisyonu belirlenmiştir. Bu amaçla, haftada bir kez olmak üzere bir ayda toplamda 4 defa her iki firmaya da gidilerek çalışmalar kaydedilmiş ve izlenmiş ve fotoğraflanmıştır. Bu pozisyonların içinden riskli olduğu düşünülen ve en sık yapılan 5 farklı iş ve 12 çalışma duruş pozisyonu detaylı ince-lenmiştir. Beş farklı temizlik işinden dördü orta seviyede riskli, biri düşük seviyede riskli olarak hesap-lanmıştır. Bina içerisinde camların silinmesi işlemi ve dış cephe cam silme işleminde REBA skoru ortala-ması 4.7, makine ile yer silme işleminde 7, yer süpürme işleminde 6.5 olarak hesaplanmış olup risk sevi-yeleri orta, önlemleri ise gerekli çıkmıştır. Yer silme işleminde REBA skoru ortalaması 3 olarak hesaplan-mış ve risk seviyesi düşük bulunmuştur. İncelenen beş çalışma duruş pozisyonundan, risk seviyesi orta olan makine ile yer silme ve yer süpürme işlemleri ile ilgili tavsiyelerde bulunulmuştur.

A Study on Prevalence of Musculoskeletal and Work Related Risk Factors among Fish Processing Industry Workers in Mangalore: - A Community based Survey

Background: Fishing and fish processing in India is a major industry in coastal states. Job demand in fishingindustry involves awkward work postures, repetitive or continuous stresses on a worker’s musculoskeletalsystem which makes them vulnerable for various work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs).Several risk factors at workplace and in the work related task have been identified to be strongly associatedwith WRMSDs, however there is limited retrievable literature identifying these risk factors in peopleinvolved fishing and fish processing industry. Objectives: To find out the prevalence and association betweenWRMSD and task related ergonomic risk factors in fish processing industry. Studydesign: Cross sectionalstudy design. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among (n=83) various workers involvedin the fish processing industries along the coastal region of Southern Karnataka. NMQ which is a valid andreliable self-administrated questionnaire commonly used to identify WMSDs was distributed among theworkers at their worksite. Subjects who had completed the NMQ with more than 90% response rate wereincluded for data analysis, and task analysis was done by using REBA which was evaluated through tripodmounted motion capture camera. Results: The prevalence data in this study was collected using Nordicmusculo-skeletal questionnaire, in which it was found that musculo-skeletal issues pertaining to neck andupper back were the most prevalent (52.9% each) in the period of past 12 months followed by lower back(51.8%), knee (42.4%), shoulder (31.8%), elbow (20%), wrist (16.5%) , ankle (15.3%) and Hips (7.1%).Of all the occupational categories analysed, the mean REBA score was the highest for cutting (6.88+ .32),whereas all the other categories had an identical mean score of 6.0+0 and the difference was found to be veryhighly significant. Conclusion: This study finding showed the link between adverse effects of inadequatework conditions and musculoskeletal injuries in fishery industry.

Risk Analysis of Homecare Physiotherapist Work Posture in Stroke Patients with Arm Paralysis

This study will examine to the extent of the homecare-service physiotherapist workload applies the task. This workload can be both physical and mentally which the first could bring greater burden than the latter one. In this discussion, the physical workload will be very much influenced by how good work the methods used or work postures to avoid the risk of illness due to incorrect work methods. The methodology in this study was using observation on the first stage. An observation to the working methods of physiotherapist was done to measure and observe the work posture of physiotherapist. Processing on work position data using REBA was then processed by calculating REBA scores from the working position of the arm therapy. Based on the ergonomic analysis that has been done on work postures, the risk of musculoskletal fatigue can be concluded that the physiotherapist needs to be improved, especially at the level of effort and time requirements of the physiotherapist. Improvement of work posture is needed because the results of the calculation of REBA score show the current work posture has a level of risk.

Working tool redesign to reduce ergonomic risk of salt evaporation field workers based on RULA and REBA assessments using esMOCA Instrument

What are the ergonomic risks of Indonesian salt evaporation field workers especially in Madura? This problem has not been much noticed, though salt production from Madura is the largest contributor to national salt production. This study aims to assess the level of ergonomic risk of salt evaporation field workers in Madura. Conduct ergonomic risk analysis and reduce the level of ergonomic risk through redesigning work tools with the REBA and RULA approaches. REBA and RULA assessments are conducted with esMOCA instrument application. This research shows that five activities of salt evaporation field workers pose a high ergonomic risk with a REBA and RULA score above 6. These five activities are, chopping salt deposits on salt field, scraping salt deposits on salt field, collecting and pile up salt deposits, picking up salt to the carrying basket, and packing salt into sack. One of these five activities, picking up salt activity poses the highest ergonomic risk with REBA score 11. Efforts undertaken to reduce risk were made by replacing shovel tool with pan hoe tool, REBA score dropped to 5.

Evaluation to Reduce Occupational Risk In Excavator Manufacturing

Musculoskeletal disorders often occur in non-ergonomic work postures. The research was conducted in the process of installing an air cleaner workstation for the excavator’s assembly at a heavy equipment manufacturing company. In the installation process, the operator must lift, hold and install the component with weight 12 kg, using the limbs manually without any tools. The objective of this study is to conduct an ergonomic evaluation by assessing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and provide recommendations for improvement in order to reduce operator musculoskeletal injuries. To determine the level of risk of the job will be used the Rapid Entire Body Assessment method. The results of this study are R.E.B.A scores obtained which is 11, with a very high level of risk, and must be immediately corrected. Ergonomic intervention as a recommendation for improvements that support the work of the operator, is making jigs to help the installation process. After implementation, the REBA score dropped to 3 or decreases by around 67% from the initial risk
 Index Terms— ergonomics intervention, musculoskeletal disorders, rapid entire body assessment

Evaluation in design of walker trainer for spatial ataxic athetoid cerebral palsy children using kinect sensor as observation method for assessing body posture on walking

Balance is a general term that explains the dynamism of body posture to prevent someone from falling. During the child’s growth sensory and motor disorders can be happen that reduce the ability to walk. Celebration Palsy (CP) is a type of disability that attacks child motor disorders. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the body balance of the CP child when using a walker trainer to assess body posture using the REBA method. The test running when the CP child is walking using a walker trainer, then a picture of the child’s posture will be taken using the Kinect Sensor Microsoft XBOX One. Then do posture analysis using the REBA method and 3DSSPP software to find out the comparison results before and after using a walker trainer. The result from REBA score when using an old walker give a score of 9 with a level of risk in musculoskeletal risk, while REBA score when using a new walker give a score of 5. Low back compression result from 3DSSP software when using old walker is 807.7 lb and when using a new walker of 531.8 lb. this result can be accepted by respondents and within safe limits.

Postural Risks and User Experience of 3D Interface Designs for Virtual Reality-based Learning Environments

Virtual Reality-based Learning Environments (VRLEs) are an emerging tool for classroom teaching. While VRLEs are increasingly in use, little attention has been paid to ergonomic challenges in use of VRLEs. This study compared two 3D interface designs of a VRLE created to teach the phases of the Moon. Participants ( N = 16) were randomly assigned to either a Hand or Toggle interface design. The interface designs were compared in terms of postural risk (REBA score), task completion time, user experience and environmental presence. Results indicate no significant difference between the Hand and Toggle interface designs for the outcome variables; however, environmental presence was marginally higher in the Hand interface. REBA scores for Hand (3.56 ± 0.89) and Toggle (3.79 ± 1.14) indicate low to medium level of postural risks. Future research should focus on development of 3D interface design guidelines to ensure safe, comfortable and effective use of VRLEs.

Postural Analysis Through RULA, REBA And QEC Of Vendors Selling Edible Items At Railway Stations And In The Trains

An ergonomic study is conducted on postural analysis of the vendors selling edible items at various railway stations and in trains in Northern India. It has been observed that they attain a definite posture infinite number of times to perform a particular task for whole life. It depends upon the number of passengers whom they interact for selling edible products in the trains and at the railway stations. It has been observed that about 20-25 vendors are working at one railway station and +7000 railway stations in Indian railway network therefore at national level these are large in numbers. The RULA and REBA analysis are performed on the eight different vendors who were selling various types of eatable products at the railway stations and in the trains. The results of RULA analysis score is 100% score (7-high risk) was obtained for each vendor which indicates that there is a very high risk and further investigation is required on their working postures and implement change soon. On the other hand REBA analysis showed that 50% score (5- has medium risk, further investigate and change soon and remaining 50% score (8-9), pointed out that these postures have high risk, further investigate and implement change. The average of REBA score of all 8 vendors is 6.75 which showed that the working postures have high risk, further investigate and implement change soon. Further, QEC analysis also revealed that there is a high risk as per the assessment scores. Almost every vendor‘s shoulder score lies (31-40) which means high risk, also back score, wrist score and neck score showed high risk in QEC assessment scores. On the basis of results and succeeding discussions conclusions has been drawn.

Differences in plantar pressure by REBA scores in dental hygienists.

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the effects of working posture, physical balance and work accumulation on shifts in plantar pressure in dental hygienists, by measuring REBA, which evaluates working posture, and plantar pressure, which evaluates physical balance. This study was conducted on 24 dental hygienists currently working in dental clinics. The ergonomic assessment method of the Rapid Entire Body Assessment was used to evaluate working posture in the dental hygienists, and a Gait Analyzer was used to measure plantar pressure. The subjects' mean REBA score was 4.96±1.04 points, and 87.5% of the subjects showed poor working posture, with a REBA score of at least four points. Among subjects with a REBA score of four points or more, seven of the eight parts of the sole of the foot showed significant differences in plantar pressure between the right and left feet (P<0.05). When we examined changes in plantar pressure over a week, pressure increased on the left side, and in particular, for subjects with a REBA score of four points or higher, pressure increased in the left foot and in the anterior right foot. Most of the dental hygienists in this study showed poor posture during working. Subjects with poor posture at a level requiring intervention showed differences in plantar pressure between the right and left feet. Inappropriate posture can cause musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, it will be necessary to prepare internal and external measures to maintain proper working posture in dental hygienists, including education, exercise, improvement of the working environment and improvement of ergonomic equipment and devices.

ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL STRAIN EXPOSED TO NURSES WHO WORK IN NOROLOGY INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Yoğun Bakım Ünitesi çalışanları verdikleri hizmetler gereği biyolojik, kimyasal, fiziksel, psikososyal ve biyomekanik risklerle karşı karşıyadır. Yoğun bakım ünitesinde kolay ayarlanabilir yataklar, yardımcı kaldırma ve taşıma araçları, antropometrik ölçülerin göz önünde bulundurulması gibi ergonomik faktörlere göre düzenlenmesi kas iskelet sistemi rahatsızlıklarının önlenmesinde büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmada, bir hastanenin Nöroloji Yoğun Bakım Ünitesi’nde çalışan hemşire ve diğer sağlık personelin hasta bakımı ve taşınması sırasında maruz kaldıkları zorlanmaların REBA yöntemiyle tespiti ele alınmıştır. Ünitede yatağın konumlandırılması, çarşaf düzenleme gibi 11 işlem tespit edilmiş, bu işlemlerin, ünitede çalışan 15 hemşire gözlemlenerek, REBA skorları tespit edilmiştir. İşlemlerin REBA skorları 2 ile 10 arasında değişkenlik göstermiştir. Bu zorlanmaları önlemek ve risk seviyelerini kabul edilebilir düzeye çekebilmek için alternatif çözüm önerileri geliştirilmiştir. En yüksek risk skoru olan kırışmış çarşaf düzenleme ve gerdirme işleminde kullanılması önerilen hasta taşıma lifti ile REBA skoru 9’dan 2’ye; hastayı yatağın başına çekme işleminde kaydırıcı çarşaf kullanımıyla REBA skoru 9’dan 3’e düşeceği tahmin edilmektedir.

Job strain, work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and influencing factors

Objective: This study was to evaluate the level of job strain, work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and influencing factors on work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among cardiac sonographers. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. Ninety-six cardiac sonographers were recruited from ten hospitals located in Seoul, Busan and Daegu. Participants completed questionnaires consisting of demographic data, physical risk factors, job strain, work-related musculoskeletal symptoms, health and safety education, and health behaviors related to musculoskeletal problems. Data were analyzed using STATA 12.0 program. Results: 1) General characteristics of subjects were as follows; all 96 subjects were female and their mean age was 33.8 ± 5.5 years. Subjects’ average height was 161.4 ± 4.5 cm, average weight was 52.6 ± 4.3 kg, and average work experience in echocardiography lab was 84.1 ± 5.8 months. 2) According to the ergonomic work posture analysis, REBA score was 9.7 ± 2.9 (in 15 point scale) which is high-risk level and required immediate management. 3) Prevalence rate of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms was 84% among participants. The percentage by body part was 76% in shoulders, 58% in hands/wrists/fingers, 48% in necks, 47% in backs, 30% in arms, and 23% in legs and feet. 4) Based on multiple logistic regression analysis, significant factors affecting the symptoms were job strain (REBA score, ß = 0.066, p = 0.017), frequency of health and safety education (ß = −0.1086, p = 0.032), and hobby (ß = 0.3526, p = 0.021). Conclusion: Cardiac sonographers are vulnerable to musculoskeletal symptoms due to their job strain. To relieve these symptoms, they need an education program to prevent musculoskeletal health problems and an exercise program containing various stretching methods.