RULA Biomechanical Ergonomic Assessment

Industrial & Systems Engineering

How It Works

Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) evaluates musculoskeletal injury risks associated with work postures by assessing angular deviations in the upper arms, lower arms, wrists, neck, and trunk. External static loads and awkward joint flexion angles generate biomechanical muscular moments that are scored against ergonomic exposure limits to prevent occupational chronic strain.

Governing Equation
Score_RULA = f(Posture_A, Posture_B, Muscle, Load)  |  τ_joint = Σ (m_i · g · r_i · sin θ_i)