RULA and REBA’s Evaluation of the Work Posture of the Power-Loom Industry: A Case Study

Musculoskeletal disorders are a major complaint for employees in India. Most power-loom industries currently involve manual labor, making the issues of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries at diverse body sites of vital concern. In the current study, video was recorded in order to measure work processes, workload assessment, and work stress. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) technique was used to measure risk factors associated with complaints of the upper extremities. While the Rapid Entire Body Assessment was used to measure the body problems (REBA). This ergonomic study provides insight into the power loom industry’s workforce’s posture analysis. The 15 power-loom industry employees at MIDC Solapur were the subjects of the study (Maharashtra, India). Images were then extracted for examination from a video clip that documented the workers’ various activities. Thus, it was determined that the power loom industry lacks ergonomics awareness and understanding. The personnel are working beyond the safe limit, according to RULA and REBA’s assessment of the situation using postural analysis. The majority of employees have hunched-over postures. Therefore, there is a moderate to high risk of musculoskeletal problems among the workforce, so to prevent WMSDs or their symptoms, some interventions are used, including training, ergonomic changes, rest alleviation, and exercises.