Workshop

Ergonomic Work Design and Prevention

of Work-Related Musculoskeletal
Disorders (MSDs)
Prinicipal Methods for Risk Assessment
of Work-Related MSDs
Dr. Rolf Ellegast

XIX. World Congress on Saftety and Health at Work

September 11-15, 2011, Istanbul

Work-related MSD risk factors

Physical
factors
Individual
factors

Environmental
factors

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Psychosocial
faktors

Classification of physical MSD risk factors

Manual material handling tasks, e.g. lifting, holding, carrying,
pulling and pushing
Working in awkward postures (overload and underload), e.g.
awkward trunk postures, crouching, kneeling, squatting, arms
above shoulder level, lack of physical activity: sitting, standing,
lying
Repetitive work
Work involving high exertion and/or exposure to force, e.g.
climbing, knocking,
Whole body vibration and hand arm vibration

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Manual Material handling

lifting, holding, carrying

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Manual Material handling

pushing and pulling

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Working in awkward postures,

awkward trunk postures

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Working in awkward postures,

arms above shoulder level, lying

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Working in awkward postures,

lack of physical activity, underload

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Repetitive work

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Work involving high exertion and/or exposure

to force, use of working tools

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Work involving high exertion and/or exposure

to force, climbing

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Work involving whole-body and hand-arm vibration

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Muscular load static work

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Statitic load (trunk muscles): plasterer

Trunk angle ()
Thoracis spine (BWS)
Lumbar spine (LWS)

Time [h:min:s]

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Maximum duration of static muscle force in

dependance of percentage of maximum holding force

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

The spine

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Intervertebral disc

Nucleus

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Fibres

Intervertebral disc: nutrition, sponge

Quelle: NMBG
Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

In Vivo-measurement of
intervertebral disc pressure

Quelle:(Nachemson, 1964)
Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Intervertebral disc loads

Quelle: NMBG
Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Application of muscle force,

tendon lever arm

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Biomechanical models

Giovanni Borelli
(1608-1679)

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Biomechanical models to estimate

spinal workloads

Quelle: M. Jger,
Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Principale assessment tools

for physical workload assessment

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Questionnaire, self reported data

Example: Checklist medical check-up G 46
http://www.arbeitssicherheit.de/servlet/PB/show/1227589/bgi7011.pdf

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Screening method: The Key Indicator Methods (KIM)

Example: Holding, Lifting Carrying
Load weight

+ Posture
+

Ergonomic
condition

= Sum

4
2
2
8

x Time/Duration

Risk evaluation:
25-50 Points

The KIM Tool Key Indicator Method. German version: www.baua.de

English version available at: http://www.pip.gov.pl/handlingloads/en/19.htm

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

= Risk points

32

Observational expert methods

Example: The Finnish OWAS method
OVAKO Working Posture Analysing System

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

OWAS: risk assessment

OVAKO Working Posture Analysing System

Risk class:

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

OWAS: risk assessment

Classes of risk - 4 OWAS* risk categories
(as percentage of working time):
1,4%

4,7%

9,1%

84,8%

Class 1: No intervention required

Class 2: Corrective action should be taken during next regular review
Class 3: Corrective action should be taken as soon as possible
Class 4: Corrective action should be taken immediately
*

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

OVAKO-Working-Posture-Analysing-System

Observational expert methods

Example: Upper limbs

RULA

HAL TLVs

OCRA Index

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Upper limb assessment tools

http://www.dguv.de/ifa/de/pub/rep/rep07/bgia0207/index.jsp
http://www.dguv.de/ifa/de/pub/rep/rep05/bgia0405/index.jsp

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Limitations of observational methods

accuracy
duration and frequeny of single load situations
frequency distribution of overloading and
underloading situations

Trunk
InclinationRumpfNeigung []

Quantifying of repetitive workloads

Time [hh:mm:ss]
Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Field measurements:
The CUELA system
(Computer-supported registration and
long-term analysis of musculoskeletal loads)
Registration of body kinematics and kinetics
for long measuring periods (whole working shift - 8 h)
with a high resolution (sampling rate 50 Hz)
usable for field analysis directly at the work place without
interference of the working process
Computer-supported data analysis
software includes a set of different evaluation methods
efficient data postprocessing
interface to a database for specific work load parameters

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Setup CUELA
Ambulatory Measurement System
video documentation
Gyroscope,
accelerometers,
potentiometers
data logger
168 Ch/ 50 Hz

FR
memory card
Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

pressure sensitive insoles (GRF)

Setup CUELA
Ambulatory Measurement System

motion detection of the

following body parts/joints:
head
shoulder blade
shoulder joint
elbow joint
forearm and wrist
thoracic spine
lumbar spine
hip joint
knee joint

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

pressure sensitive insoles

Different versions of the CUELA system

Basic

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Incl. 3D-upper limb

Sedentary work Activity system

Optional modules
(synchronous measurement)
ECG

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

EMG

3D Force

WBV

Data visualisation and assessment

CUELA software

3D-Puppet
Synchronised
video file

Measurement data, e.g. angle time graph

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Assessment of CUELA data

Quantification
of mechanical risk factors

Assessment

Examples

awkward postures
manual materials handling

static postures

high dynamic working

repetitive work

impact of high forces

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Criteria
Integrated evaluation methods:
OWAS, MDD, RULA, OCRA

Standards, e.g. EN1005

Physiological and
biomechanical models

Input data for biomechanical

link segment models

L5/S1 Compression Force [N/10]

Estimation of lumbar load variables: e.g. moments, compression forces

Time [h:min:s]

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

Fields of application - CUELA system

prevention

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011

occupational
disease

rehabilitation

Laboratory measurements

Dr. Rolf Ellegast -IFA- 2011