Chapter

6 Ergonomic Risk
Assessment
 Groups
G1 Abdoulaye, Abdoulaie Kogan3, Riteesh
Acquah, Kevin G4 Krosmico, Philomena
Alasim, Fahad A. Grimson Peter

G2 Alghamdi, Mohammed A. Sapp, Eric C.

Alqahtani, Fahad M. Sindi, Wadei S.
Boumi, Shahab G5 Zolghadr, Mohammad
Darabi, Negar Eddy McKayla

G3 Erekaife, Godwin A.
Gouzd, Jeremy R.
Jakka, Vikram
 Risk assessment approach
1. Direct measurement
Work sta3on dimensions
Muscle force output
Human mo3on

 Risk assessment approach
2. Survey
Face to face interview
Phone, internet, paper survey
Advantages and disadvantages

 Risk assessment approach
3. Observa3onal risk assessment
Site visit
Video analysis
Inter-grader variance
OXen combined with direct
measurement and interview
NIOSH liXing equa3on, RULA,
REBA, 3DSSPP, PATH

 NIOSH LiXing Equa3on
The Na3onal Ins3tute for Occupa3onal Safety
and Health (NIOSH), in 1981 published its
liXing equa3on to assess the risk of injury for
manual liXing task. The revised equa3on was
published in 1991.

hap://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
The NIOSH Lifting Equation

A. Developed to help industry combat back injury
problems by providing a quantitative tool that
can:
1) identify problematic jobs before they cause an
injury
2) show areas of potential improvement

B. Used information from:
1) Epidemiologic studies
2) Biomechanical studies
3) Physiologic studies
4) Psychophysical studies
1) Horizontal Component

H - measured as the distance between center of
load and midpoint between ankles (estimated
location of fulcrum of biomechanical system)

0 < HM < 1.0

If H < 10 inches then HM = 1

If H > 25 inches then HM = 0

2) Vertical Component

V - measured as the vertical distance of the first
knuckle of the middle finger from the floor

0 < VM < 1.0

If V = 30 inches then VM = 1

If V > 70 inches then VM = 0

3) Distance Component

D - measured as the vertical travel distance of the
load

0 < DM < 1.0

If D < 10 inches then DM = 1

If D > 70 inches then DM = 0

4) Asymmetry Component

A - measured as the angle between the location
of the load and the mid-sagittal plane

0 < AM < 1.0

If A = 0o then AM = 1

If A > 135o then AM = 0

5) Frequency Component

F - measured as the number of lifts per minute
(Recommended to take the average number of
lifts per minute over a fifteen minute period)

0 < FM < 1.0

FM = f (F, Duration, V)

If F > 15 lifts /min then FM = 0

Frequency Multipliers
Work Duration
< 1 hr < 2 hrs < 8 hrs

----------------------------------------------------------------
V<30 V>30 V<30 V>30 V<30 V>30
Freq
(lifts/min)
.2 1.00 1.00 .95 .95 .85 .85

.5
.97
.97
.92
.92
.81
.81
1
.94
.94
.88
.88
.75
.75
2
.91
.91
.84
.84
.65
.65
3
.88
.88
.79
.79
.55
.55
4
.84
.84
.72
.72
.45
.45
5
.80
.80
.60
.60
.35
.35
6
.75
.75
.50
.50
.27
.27
7 .70 .70 .42 .42 .22 .22
8
.60
.60
.35
.35
.18
.18
9
.52
.52
.30
.30
.00
.15

10
.45
.45
.26
.26
.00
.13

11
.41
.41
.00
.23
.00
.00

12
.37
.37
.00
.21
.00
.00

13
.00
.34
.00
.00
.00
.00

14
.00
.31
.00
.00
.00
.00

15
.00
.28
.00
.00
.00
.00

>15
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
6) Coupling Component

C - described as good, fair or poor

0 < CM < 1.0

Containers of optimal design
< 16 inches wide, < 12 inches high, no sharp
edges, well balanced, non-slippery surface

Handles of optimal design
1.5 inches clearance, 4.5 inches long, >.25 inches
container thickness, .75 - 1.5 inch
diameter cylindrical handles (Handles)

C = Good if optimal design containers with
handles or loose/ irregular objects that allow
the hand to wrap around object

C = Fair if optimal design containers with less
than optimal handles or no handles but allow
lifter to bend fingers at 90o during lift

C = Poor if less than optimal design containers
or bulky irregular objects that cant be grasped

Good Fair Poor
Coupling Multipliers

Couples V<30 in V>30 in
-----------------------------------------

Good 1.00 1.00
Fair .95 1.00
Poor .90 .90

 The 1991 NIOSH Lifting Equation does not apply if any
of the following occur:

Lifting/lowering with one hand

Lifting/lowering for over eight hours

Lifting/lowering while seated

Lifting/lowering in restricted work space

Lifting/lowering unstable objects

Lifting/lowering while carrying, pushing or pulling

Lifting/lowering with wheelbarrows or shovels

Lifting/lowering with high speed motion (faster than
about 30 inches per second)

Lifting/lowering with unreasonable foot/floor coupling
(<.4 coefficient of friction)

91 NIOSH LIFTING FORMULA EXAMPLE
WORKPLACE MEASUREMENTS

Horizontal Distance HBEG = 18 HEND = 15
Vertical Distance VBEG = 18 VEND = 40
Distance
(vertical) traveled DBEG = 22 DEND = 22
Asymmetry ABEG = 0o AEND = 45o
Frequency
of lift (lift/min) F
BEG = 2/m FEND = 2/m
Coupling quality CBEG = poor CEND = poor
Box Weight= 25 lbs
6 hours/day

SOLUTION

Starting Position
RWLst = 51 * HM * VM * DM * AM * FM * CM

HM= 10 / H

VM= 1 - (.0075 |V - 30|)

DM= .82 + (1.8 / D)

AM = 1 - (.0032*A)

HM= 10 / 18 HM= .56

VM= 1 - (.0075 |18 - 30|) VM= .91

DM= .82 + (1.8 / 22) DM= .90

AM = 1 - (.0032*0) AM = 1.0

FM= .65 (From Table)

CM= .90 (From Table)

RWLstart = 51 * .56 * .91 * .90 * 1.0 * .65 * .90

RWLstart = 13.60 lbs

LI = 25 / 13.60 = 1.84

Ending Position
RWLen = 51 * HM * VM * DM * AM * FM * CM

HM= 10 / H

VM= 1 - (.0075 |V - 30|)

DM= .82 + (1.8 / D)

AM = 1 - (.0032*A)

HM= 10 / 15 HM= .67

VM= 1 - (.0075 |40 - 30|) VM= .93

DM= .82 + (1.8 / 22) DM= .90

AM = 1 - (.0032*45) AM = .86

FM= .65 (From Table)

CM= .90 (From Table)

RWLend = 51
* .67 * .93 * .90 * .86 * .65 * .90
RWLend = 14.20 lbs
LI
= 25 / 14.20 = 1.76

Overall RWL for this job is 13.6 lbs
Overall LI for this job is 1.84
 In-Class Exercise

A 120 lb, 55 year old female lifts a box with weight of 18 pounds from a
position on the floor to a conveyor whose surface height is 25 inches from the
floor. She lifts this box at a rate of 4 lifts per minute. The box, which has
cut-out handles at a distance of 7 inches from the floor, begins in a position
45 degrees to the right at a distance of 12 inches and ends directly in front of
her at a forward distance of 18 inches. The worker performs this task
constantly for 6 hours per day.

a) Evaluate this job using the 1991 revised lifting equation. Show all
calculations.
b) Where would you concentrate your efforts if you were asked to redesign
this job.
c) How would your results change if the lifter was a 28 year old, 280 lb
man?

In-Class Exercise
WORKPLACE MEASUREMENTS

Horizontal Distance HBEG = 12 HEND = 18
Vertical Distance VBEG = 7 VEND = 32
Distance
(vertical) traveled DBEG = 25 DEND = 25
Asymmetry ABEG = 45o AEND = 0o
Frequency
of lift (lift/min) F
BEG = 4/m FEND = 4/m
Coupling quality CBEG = good CEND = good
Box Weight= 18 lbs
6 hours/day

SOLUTION (part a)

Starting Position
RWLst = 51 * HM * VM * DM * AM * FM * CM

HM= 10 / H

VM= 1 - (.0075 |V - 30|)

DM= .82 + (1.8 / D)

AM = 1 - (.0032*A)

HM= 10 / 12 HM= .83

VM= 1 - (.0075 |7 - 30|) VM= .83

DM= .82 + (1.8 / 25) DM= .89

AM = 1 - (.0032*45) AM = .86

FM= .45 (From Table)

CM= 1.0 (From Table)

RWLstart = 51 * .83 * .83 * .89 * .86 * .45 * 1.0

RWLstart = 12.1 lbs

LI = 18 / 12.1 = 1.49

Ending Position
RWLen = 51 * HM * VM * DM * AM * FM * CM

HM= 10 / H

VM= 1 - (.0075 |V - 30|)

DM= .82 + (1.8 / D)

AM = 1 - (.0032*A)

HM= 10 / 18 HM= .56

VM= 1 - (.0075 |32 - 30|) VM= .99

DM= .82 + (1.8 / 25) DM= .89

AM = 1 - (.0032*0) AM = 1.0

FM= .45 (From Table)

CM= 1.0 (From Table)

* .56 * .99 * .89 * 1.0 * .45 * 1.0

RWLend = 51
RWLend = 11.1 lbs
LI = 18 / 11.1 = 1.61

Overall RWL for this job is 11.1 lbs
Overall LI for this job is 1.61
 Home work
Design and perform two (low risk vs. high risk)
liXing tasks by yourself or your friend, Use
NIOSH liXing equa3on to calculate the liXing
index for each task. Use pictures to
demonstrate how the tasks are performed
(beginning posture & ending posture) and
how the angle and distances are measured.
Give improvement sugges3ons to the high risk
task.
 Final project
Individual or work as a group (need jus3ca3on if having 3 or more
group members)
Type of project
Literature review (~3000 words and include 50-60 ar3cles)
Injury sta3s3cs
Recent trend in a certain type of occupa3onal injury
Current understanding of a MSD

Design (redesign) of a product (1000 to 1500 words report, include
ra3onale, concept development, drawings and gures, prototype)
Improve func3onality
Reduce stress, fa3gue and associated injury

Data collec3on and analysis (1000 to 1500 words report, include
ra3onale, experimental design, data analysis, results, discussion)
Beaer understanding of injury biomechanics
The inuence of a risk factor (or product) on human body