Applied Ergonomics 1981, 12.

1, 13-17

Observing working postures in

industry: Examples of OWAS
application
Osmo Karhu*, Reino H'~rktinen**, Pentti Sorvali*** and Pentti Veps'~l~iinen * * * *

* Department Manager, Ovako Oy, Helsinki

** Director of Administration, Ovako Oy, Helsinki
*** Manager of Industrial Engineering, Ovako Oy, Imatra
**** Head Shop Steward, Ovako Oy, Imatra

A practical method for identifying and evaluating poor working postures, ie the Ovako
Working Posture Analysing System (OWAS), was presented in an earlier paper (Karhu
et al, 1977). The application of the method is here described by means of two examples.
One is a case study undertaken by members of an ergonomics training course, in which a
marked improvement in working posture was achieved by OWAS analysis of critical
activities. The second illustrates the effect of setting up a multidisciplinary group in order
to develop an alternative method for the installation and maintenance of steel mill
equipment. In both examples, application of the OWAS method led to improved posture
in the situations studied, and to the likelihood of its wider industrial use.

Introduction
The development work of the OWAS-method (Karhu
etal, 1977) was started in Ovako Oy I in 1973 and we are
now able to present some examples of how the OWAS-
method is applied in practice.
The steel industry, because of its capital-intensive nature,
is struggling with problems created by the need to increase
productivity. One of the objectives in a situation like this
should be healthy, safe and productive working conditions
which would make people willing to work in the steel
industry. It is therefore important that ergonomics points
are observed in routine decision-making at all levels within
the organisation. In our company this philosophy is
encouraged by extensive ergonomics training, this being
based on management decisions at an operation policy level.
The Industrial Engineering Department, co-operating with
work safety personnel, is responsible for the ergonomics
training in Ovako. The effects of working postures in heavy
physical work has become the central object of study and
the OWAS-method has been established for this purpose.
Two examples, in which the OWAS-method has been
used, are illustrative of the progress in the use of the
method. The first example is of a training topic given to a
working group during a 7-day ergonomics course. The
second example is of the results achieved through planning
and redesign. The difference between these two examples
10vako Oy is a private company producing steel bars,
profiles, wire rod and pig iron. The company consists of
two profit centres including four plants in the southern
part of Finland. The head office of the company is in
Helsinki. The company employs 3500 people. The
company's turnover is about 650 million FMK.
is that the first has been produced under the strong
influence of ergonomics thinking, while the second applies
ergonomics training in the planning work of technical
designers.
Bricklaying the deck of an electric arc furnace
In the Imatra Steel Works the raw material, iron scrap, is
melted for casting in electric arc furnaces. The deck of the
furnace is a round arc-like construction made of firebricks.
The arc is laid in a separate working spot on a mould. The
diameter of the arc is 5.3 m and a deck wears out in
approximately one week, A working group on an ergonomics
course selected this task for its training case study.
The ergonomics course consisted of a lecture period of
5 days followed by a period of 3 - 5 weeks during which
the training topic was studied. In the final two days the
case studies were reported and criticised as project-work
during normal working hours. During this ergonomics course
a working group of four persons (with representatives from
workers, supervisors and industrial engineering) decided to
apply the OWAS-method to their training topic. The working
group turned to the Industrial Engineering Department for
the study of working postures.
The study revealed that the bricklaying was done
primarily with the back in a bent posture (Fig. 1) for about
43% of the total working time. Particularly difficult and
hard on the bricklayer's back were the working postures
after the first layer of bricks were laid and the bricklayer
had to continue the laying work standing on the mould
with his back extremely flexed.
The study provided a new and different starting point
for the creation of ideas, and in co-operation with the
Industrial Engineering Department the working group

0003-6870/81/01 0013-05 $02.00 ~) IPC BusinessPress Applied Ergonomics March 1981 13

developed a 'ring-element' for the bricklaying (Fig. 2).
Each ring was fitted separately with bricks (Fig. 3) and the
rings were lifted by crane.
Following this change in the working method, tile check
study showed that the bent posture exposure time had
decreased from 43% to 22%. The new method has now
been used for nearly two years and the workers have given
their full approval to this corrective measure which they
consider a success.

Comparison of bricklaying with the new and old

method; OWAS-analysis
In the study the back, upper and lower limbs were
analysed. The most important result of this study was,
however, the comparison between operative classes 3 and 4
(Karhu et al, 1977). Operative class refers to urgency of
corrective action, 4 being the most urgent (Fig. 4).
From Table 1 we find that a definite decrease had been
achieved in those postures, which belong to classes which
imply a most urgent need for correction.

Trolley for adjusting guides in a roll stand

The objective of the working group was to develop
alternative working methods for the maintenance and
Fig. 2
installation of a roll unit.
The rolling of billets in the Light Rolling Mill is carried
out by roll stands. In the Medium Section Mill the three
high mills together with bearings and rest bars form a fixed
Ring elements for bricklaying the deck of an
electric arc furnace. The mould consists of three
elements which fit into one another. The diameter
of the outer ring is 5.3 m and the total assembly
weighs 5000 kg

Fig. 3 Each ring element is fitted separately with bricks.

Fig. 1 The old method of bricklaying. The first layer of This allows the use of more acceptable working
bricks is being laid postures

14 AppliedErgonomics March 1981

 (1) (2) (3) (4)
IBACKI I)

,dl• I
straight and bent and
straight bent twisted twisted

Old Method % 18,5 42,6 1,4 12,7

New Method % 43,5 22,3 2,9 2,2
(1) (2) (3)
UPPER
LIMBS

both~l iJ Fig. 40WAS-analysis of the old and

both | new method of bricklaying
limbs~ ~ . limbs .8 k
on or below above shoulder
shoulder level °~ao°u~~1b°~eevei level
I Old Method % 64,1 10,0 1,1
New Method % 63,3 6,9 0,6
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5):
LOWER
LIMBS
/ /
"I'P

loading on both loading on one loading on both loading on one body is moved
limbs, straight limb, straight limbs, bent limb, bent by the limb
Old method % 48,0 12,1 5,4 5,0 4,7
New method % 54,9 6,8 1,3 0,2 7,7

Table 1 workers, and the group reported their results to the

co-ordinating group (a department manager, representatives
Operative class 2 3 4 of supervisors, workers and the Industrial Engineering
Department).
Old method 13.9 3.2 5"6
Table 2 shows the ergonomics training situation at the
New method 7.2 1.5 0"6 time of the study at Imatra Steel Works. In addition to the
training shown in this Table, members of the working group
roll stand. With the help of guides the billet is guided into were given a 1 - 4 h lecture during rationalisation and work
the groove. The maintenance and adjustment of the 30 ton safety seminars.
roll unit is done in a separate working area, where the unit
is lifted by crane (Fig. 5). Comparison of the old and new methods of working
This is an example of setting up a working group to solve The old method for adjusting the guides was carried out
a certain problem. The working group comprised six people; on a fixed mounting stand in the rolling mill hall. This
a planner, an industrial engineer, two supervisors and two situation was hot, noisy, the air was dust-laden and draught

Applied Ergonomics March 1981 15

was continuous. The working postures were difficult and have not succeeded in eliminating all poor postures but some
included stretching and bent postures as well as lifting of of them can further be eliminated by making small changes
heavy objects. The new method allowed the installation in the trolley (Fig. 7).
work to be carried out in a van with an adjustable working
platform.
Conclusion
A comparative OWAS-analysis (Fig. 6) shows that
working postures changed from bent postures (2) to Because people should be considered as 'units' it is
straight and twisted (3) and bent and twisted (4), but the important to observe working postures as a unit by
share of operative class 4 had decreased by about 50%. We combining the postures of the back and limbs in one
observation and analysing the working posture as a whole
(Fig. 8).
Table 2
In the two examples presented the main consideration
Course Persons Total has been on the reduction of 'bad' postures and their time
I matra share. Two more considerations should be taken into account
Co-ordinating Working Steel
(a) reduction of posture-caused disorders or diseases,
group group Works
and
(b) productivity.
Ergonomics course
(7 days)* 2 1 77 We have no indication that back pain or other locomotor
organ disorders have been diminished. The small number of
OWAS-course (5 days)* 1 1 25 subjects and insufficient follow-up time do not allow that
analysis. Because back pain is often multicausal, we do not
Ergonomics course
expect that even with a greater number of subjects a
(4 weeks)** 1 11
measurable effect could be achieved. We expect that good
working conditions will lead to better health and lower
*Internal training
absence figures in general.
** Course by the Institute of Occupational Health
Also the productivity in the two examples is made up
of several factors from which the purified effect of
correcting working postures is not easily separable. In the
bricklaying, the total working time decreased by 10%,
which seems to come directly from the lightening of the
working postures. In the roll stand guide's adjustment task
the shortening of the total time is 25%. The concurrent
partial mechanisation of the task assists in the shortening
of the work time, so that the sole role of changes in working
postures is not easily distinguishable. The stand-up time in
the rolling mill line shortened considerably. The quality of
the reassembly has definitely become better and we regard
this as a direct effect of the easing of working postures.
For practical purposes the separation of the effect of
change in the working postures and in technical equipment
and methods is not very interesting, if we recognise that
there cannot be a good and productive technical system
without consideration of the human aspects.
Until now, the use of the OWAS-method has been rather
selective. In addition to the direct results provided by these
studies, they have achieved indirect results by making
Fig. 5 A diagram of the 30 ton rolling unit. Maintenance attitudes more favourable towards working postures.
and adjustment mechanisms intcude rest bars (B)
and guides (G). With the help of guide (G) the
billet is guided into the groove

(1) (2)1 (3) (4)

i t (I
,'A k
Operative
Class

.41
I ~J
straight and bent and Fig. 6 A comparison by OWAS-
straight bent twisted twisted analysis of adjustment and
Old method (min) 186 60 4 6 15 min maintenance on the rolling
unit with the new and old
New method (rain) 119 28 25 14 8 min
methods of work

16 Applied Ergonomics March 1981

 (1) (2) (3)
UPPER
LIMBS

both
limbs ""
L ?he L both
li
L
on or below on or above above shoulder
shoulder level shoulder level level

OLD METHOD (MIN) 198 40 18

NEW METHOD (MIN) 137 34 15

LOWER
LIMBS
/
l)
(1) (2) (3)
j' (4) (5) (6)

d~
4
loading on both loading on one loading on both loading on one loading on one body is moved
limbs, straight limb, straight limbs, bent limb, bent limb, kneeling by the limbs

OLD METHOD 134 10 42 4 10 53

NEW METHOD 118 19 16 5 -- 26

Fig. 7 OWAS-analysis of positions of the upper and lower elements, before and after modification of maintenance
procedures on the rolling mill unit

AN EXAMPLE
POSTURE 2t 5

"•••ECTIVE
METHOD
BRICKLAYING
THE DECK AN
ELECTRIC OVEN
ADJUSTING THE
GUIDE IN THE
ROLL UNIT
BACK: bent
UPPER LIMBS:
both below
shoulder level
Fig. 8 Total time involved in Working
Posture 215 in (a) bricklaying
OLD METHOD (MIN) 1 4,0 1,5 the deck of an electric oven
LOWER LIMBS:
loading on one (b) adjusting a guide in the
NEW METHOD (MIN) 0 0,5 limb, kneeling rolling unit

Further information on the OWAS-method in Ovako Oy out the possibilities of applying the OWAS-method to other
can be obtained through Mr Osmo Karhu, Ovako Oy, fields of industry. The project will be completed at the end
POB 790, SF-00101 Helsinki 10, Finland. of 1978.

In December 1975 Ovako Oy conveyed the OWAS-

method to the labour market organisations (The Finnish References
Employers' Confederation and The Central Organ!sation of Karhu, 0., Kansi, P., Kuorinka, l.
Finnish Trade Unions). The organisations have organised a 1977 AppliedErgonomics, 8.4, 199-201. Correcting
project, financed by SITRA (The Finnish National Fund working postures in industry. A practical method for
for Research and Development). This project aims at finding analysis.

Applied Ergonomics March 1981 17