NIOSH Document: Toolbox Tray 5–B: Ergonomic Hazard Identification Checklist - Elements of Ergonomics Programs - A Primer Based on Workplace Evaluations of Musculoskeletal Disorders - NIOSH Publication Number 97-117

NIOSH Publication No. 97-117:

Elements of Ergonomics Programs

A Primer Based on Workplace Evaluations of Musculoskeletal Disorders

March 1997

Toolbox Tray 5–B: Ergonomic Hazard Identification Checklist

Tray 5-B Ergonomic Hazard Identification Checklist

Answer the following questions based on the primary job activities of workers in this facility.

Use the following responses to describe how frequently workers are exposed to the job conditions described below:

Never (worker is never exposed to the condition)
Sometimes (worker is exposed to the condition less than 3 times daily)
Usually (worker is exposed to the condition 3 times or more daily)

	Never	Sometimes	Usually	If USUALLY, list jobs to which answer applies here
1. Do workers perform tasks that are externally paced?
2. Are workers required to exert force with their hands (e.g., gripping, pulling, pinching)?
3. Do workers use handtools or handle parts or objects?
4. Do workers stand continuously for periods of more than 30 min?
5. Do workers sit for periods of more than 30 min without the opportunity to stand or move around freely?
6. Do workers use electronic input devices (e.g., keyboards, mice, joysticks, track balls) for continuous periods of more than 30 min?
7. Do workers kneel (one or both knees)?
8. Do workers perform activities with hands raised above shoulder height?
9. Do workers perform activities while bending or twisting at the waist?
10. Are workers exposed to vibration?
11. Do workers lift or lower objects between floor and waist height or above shoulder height?
12. Do workers lift or lower objects more than once per min for continuous periods of more than 15 min?
13. Do workers lift, lower, or carry large objects or objects that cannot be held close to the body?
14. Do workers lift, lower, or carry objects weighing more than 50 lb?

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Facility: The location to which employees report each day for work. For situations in which employees do not report to any fixed location on a regular basis but are subject to common supervision, the facility may be defined as a central location where other OSHA records are maintained. (Note: Synonymous with establishment, as defined in OSHA record keeping requirements.)

Primary job activities: Job activities that make up a significant part of the work or are required for safety or contingency. Activities are not considered to be primary job activities if they makeup a small percentage of the job (i.e., take up less than 10% of the worker's time), are not essential for safety or contingency, and can be readily accomplished in other ways (e.g., using equipment already available in the facility).

Externally paced activities: Work activities for which the worker does not have direct control of the rate of work. Externally paced work activities include activities for which (1) the worker must keep up with an assembly line or an independently-operating machine, (2) the worker must respond to a continuous queue (e.g., customers standing in line, phone calls at a switchboard), or (3) time standards are imposed on workers.

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