This case study shows a worker collating pages together into a document, which will eventually be bound together. Before reading this, it may be useful to read the "try it out" overview if you have not already.
Collating papers video.
A worker collating paper pages of a document.
Before you begin the assessment, watch the video for a few minutes to become familiar with the task and view the task from different angles.
Hover over individual rows for an explanation of each risk score.
There is almost continuous arm movement.
There are 14 similar motion patterns within a cycle time of about 12 seconds, so this factor is scored Red 6.
There is no indication of any particular force involved in this task.
The worker's head/neck is bent for more than half the time when looking down at the papers.
The worker's back is twisted for more than half the time when walking in either direction.
The hands are at about waist height and the elbows are close to the body.
The left wrist extends back for part of the time when picking papers.
The right wrist is flexed forward for a part of the time when holding the papers.
The right hand holds the papers in a pinch grip for more than half the time.
The left hand does not grip awkwardly.
The longest duration of work without a break occurs between 12.45 and 4.30pm. This is greater than 3 hours duration, so this factor is scored Red 6.
The worker sets their own pace and reports that it is not difficult to keep up with the work.
The work is carried out in a well lit environment, and there are no other factors reported.
The task score, calculated for each arm separately, is the sum of the scores of all the risk factors.
6 + 6 + 0 + 2 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 6 + 0 + 0 = 23
The worker performs the task for 8 hours per day, so the duration multiplier is 1.
The exposure score, calculated for each arm separately, is found by multiplying the task score by the duration multiplier.
23 x 1 = 23
The exposure score can be interpreted using the table of exposure levels.
The high rate of repetition is one of the key risk factors with this task. If this were a daily activity or a long production run an automatic collator could be used to do this task and leave the workers to do other better jobs.
Job rotation would reduce an individual's exposure to the risk factors mentioned in the risk assessment.
Adding extra activities to the job (job enlargement) could provide more variety in posture and speed of work. If these activities are different enough, they could reduce the scores assigned to several factors such as arm movements, repetition, and breaks. Regular breaks from this task would be essential if this task were performed all day.
