Application of rula to research the ergonomics risk of hand-held grinding operation

Abstract

Objective—To study the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of four working positions of hand-held grinding in the mechanical manufacturing industry. Methods—Application of rapid upper limb assessment (RULA), the bad postures of arm and wrist, neck, trunk and leg are scored, respectively; the total score is obtained by combining with the corresponding muscle use score and force/load score, then assess the risk grade according to the total score. Results—The bad posture of upper arm, wrist, neck and trunk is more obvious; the lower arm is followed; the bad posture of legs is not obvious; muscle use and force/load are not obvious. Conclusion—The results show that there are middle and high grades WMSDs ergonomic risks in the working process of four kinds of hand-held grinding postures, which need further study and take corresponding ergonomic improvement measures.