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Ergonomic risk assessment checklist
An ergonomic risk assessment checklist is a screening tool: you watch a task and mark which risk factors are present, such as awkward postures, repetition, force, lifting and carrying, contact stress, vibration, work height and reach, and the environment, and how long each lasts in a shift. It finds the tasks most likely to cause strain and musculoskeletal disorders so they are dealt with first. It is not a full ergonomic assessment: a task that screens high goes on to a detailed assessment with a recognized method, done by someone trained in it. Page 1 of this template has 21 risk factors in eight groups, each marked present or not with the hours it lasts in a shift and a note of how often, the weight and the body part, then the total. Page 2 explains the priority (1 to 3 points per factor by duration, then low, medium or high), the order of controls (engineering, then administrative, then PPE), and has a controls table, the referral and the recheck. The Excel version screens up to ten tasks side by side, works out factors present, points and priority with cut-offs you can change, ranks the tasks on a priority list, and tracks controls with late flags and the points after the recheck.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use an ergonomic risk assessment checklist
- To find which tasks on a line put the most strain on people, and fix those first.
- When people report discomfort or strain injuries in an area.
- Before and after a change to a workstation, a tool or the product.
- When designing a new line or station, to catch problems on paper.
How to fill it in
- 1
Pick the task and watch it
Watch at least one full cycle, on more than one person if you can, and on the shift that does the most of it.
- 2
Ask the people who do it
Where it hurts, which part of the job is hardest, what they do to cope. They know things a short observation misses.
- 3
Mark each factor
Present or not, and for each one present the hours it lasts in a shift: under 1 hour, 1 to 4 hours or over 4 hours. Note the weight, how often and the body part.
- 4
Total the points
1, 2 or 3 points per factor by duration. The total ranks the task against others; it is a screening aid, not a measure of risk.
- 5
Choose controls in order
Engineering first (change the job or the workstation), then administrative (rotation, breaks, two-person lifts), then PPE.
- 6
Refer and recheck
Send high tasks, or any factor that worries you, for a detailed assessment with a recognized method. Screen the task again once the controls are in.
What's on the screening
The 21 risk factors on the ergonomic risk assessment checklist
Eight groups to screen one task against. On the sheet each factor is marked present or not, with the hours it lasts in a shift (1, 2 or 3 points) and a note of how often, the weight and the body part.
Awkward postures
Back, neck, shoulders, knees
- 1Back bent forward or twisted while working
- 2Hands at or above shoulder height
- 3Neck bent forward, back or to the side
- 4Kneeling or squatting to do the work
Repetition
The same motion over and over
- 5Same hand or arm motion repeated with little or no variation
- 6Intensive keying, clicking or fine finger work
Force
Hands and whole body
- 7Forceful gripping or pinching of tools or parts
- 8Pushing or pulling carts or loads that are hard to start or stop
Lifting and carrying
Write the weight and how often
- 9Lifting or lowering heavy loads
- 10Lifting from below the knees, above the shoulders or at arm's length
- 11Carrying loads more than a few steps
Contact stress
Hard edges and impacts
- 12Hard or sharp edges pressing on hands, wrists, forearms or knees
- 13Using the hand or knee as a hammer
Vibration
Hand-arm and whole body
- 14Vibrating or impact tools used, such as grinders or impact wrenches
- 15Standing or sitting on a vibrating surface or vehicle
Work height and reach
How the workstation fits the person
- 16Work surface too high or too low for the person doing the job
- 17Reaching forward or to the side beyond easy reach
- 18Standing in one place, or sitting without support, for long periods
Environment
Conditions that add strain
- 19Cold, heat or drafts at the workstation
- 20Poor lighting or glare that makes people lean in to see
- 21Gloves that reduce grip, or slippery parts and handles
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: case packing at the end of a filling line (illustrative).
- Five factors present: back bent forward 1 to 4 hours (2 points), the same arm motion over 4 hours (3), lifting 26 lb cases 1 to 4 hours (2), lifting from below the knees for the bottom pallet layer under 1 hour (1), reaching to the case erector 1 to 4 hours (2).
- Total 2 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 10 points: high priority.
- Engineering: a spring pallet lift that keeps the top layer at waist height, and the case erector moved within easy reach. Administrative: rotation every two hours between packing and labeling.
- Recheck: back bending, lifting from below the knees and reaching no longer present; repetition now 1 to 4 hours (2) and lifting still 1 to 4 hours (2). Total 4 points: medium.
Lifting was still present, so the task was referred for a detailed lifting assessment with a recognized method, and the team asked the customer whether a smaller case was possible.
Common mistakes
Treating the points as a measurement
The points rank tasks for attention. They do not show a task is safe, and a low total does not overrule someone's pain.
Skipping the people
Watching without asking misses the parts of the job that hurt.
Going straight to PPE or training
Gloves and a lifting course leave the job as it was. Change the job first.
Never rechecking
Controls can move strain to another body part as easily as remove it. Screen the task again once they are in.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite the AI ergonomic study works from ordinary phone video: it maps 18 body joints on every frame, scores REBA or RULA, and flags the worst postures with suggested engineering controls.
FAQ
Ergonomic risk assessment checklist: common questions
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