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Rapid Upper Limb Assessment Overview Transcript
Hey everyone. This is Mark Middlesworth of Ergo Plus and in this video I want to introduce the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment or RULA to you for those that may not be familiar with that tool. The RULA is an ergonomic assessment tool that was developed to provide a simple and easy evaluation of upper extremity tasks that may have associated MSD risk due to awkward postural exertions.
The tool was initially published back in 1993, has undergone a few revisions and different worksheets. This is the ErgoPlus worksheet for the RULA tool and that worksheet is used to provide input and scoring method with an action level output. Validation and repeatability testing has been done by the Institute for Occupational Ergonomics and that was done in both the industrial and the office setting.
The paperwork sheet is divided into a couple of different sections. Section A allows you to evaluate the upper arm position, the lower arm position, the wrist position, account for any risk twisting, and also has a muscle use and load force score for section A criteria. Section B, you will evaluate the neck position, the trunk position, the leg score, and muscle use and load force as well. Then, three different conversion tables are used to come up with a final RULA score, which gives you an action level associated with MSD risk. So, one to two would be very minimal risk. Three to four low risk, change may be needed. Five or six score would indicate medium risk, and a score of six or above would indicate very high risk for that postural task.
There we go. So, the conversion tables make the paper worksheet scoring method a little bit tricky and opens the door for errors as you move numbers to conversion tables back and forth. So, a little bit messy, certainly doable to do it on a paper worksheet. As you get more comfortable with it, not so bad, but still a little messy and susceptible to making entry errors.
We’ve developed a RULA web-based calculator that takes all that conversion table stuff away. And so, I’ll just walk through the our calculator with you real quick. For section A, we’re going to select the upper arm position. The base score will be here and then it provides for any upper arm adjustments. For elevation of the shoulder, abduction or gravity assist. Step two is the lower arm position scoring, so the base scores one of these three selections with the lower arm adjustment possibility. In step three, you’ll select the wrist position based score and any adjustment for radial or ulnar deviation. Step four on section A is a select risk twist. If the wrist is twisted in the mid range or if the wrist is twisted out near the end of the range of motion. In section A, you’ll have a muscle use score and a load force selection to make before you go on to section B.
In section B, you’ll select the neck position based score as well as any adjustments for twisting of the neck or side bending. Also in step B, the trunk position selection will be made from one of these four selections or positions, along with any adjustments for the trunk for twisting and side bending, and then you’ll select the leg position for bilateral standing or perhaps if one leg is raised, at some point within that task you’ll need to select this entry.
There’s a muscle use and a force load score to be made for section B as well, and then you just come down here and push the button and rather than all that messiness with the conversion tables and moving numbers around, you push one button and the calculator uses the lookup tables to figure out what that score is going to be. So, the final score is going to be RULA score. In this case the score was five and a risk gap index indicating that the action limit has been exceeded or the design goal for that task has been exceeded and by how much.
We have developed a RULA step-by-step guide, which takes you through in a lot deeper, deeper dive than we’ve been able to do today in this introductory video, but certainly that’s available to you. If you look it up on our website and we have it there as a download or better yet, check out the Ergo Plus platform. You can create a free account at Ergo-plus.com/platform and sign up for a free account. You’ll have access to all of our calculators, not just RULA, but the REBA, the NIOSH lifting equation, WISHA, Snook tables, and some other good stuff on there that you’ll want to check out.
Okay. Let’s build a safer, healthier, more productive workplace by thinking prevention. Have a great day everyone.
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