Ovako

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Working posture Remova

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Analysis
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System
Group 1:
Abatayo, Sarah Jane
Cabije, Ryan
Lopez, Beverly Kate
Otadoy, Alliah allysa
Sipalay, Nova Mae
HISTORY : (Ovako Working posture Analysis System)
Created in the mid‐1970s by Ovako Oy, a private
steel company in Finland

Developed as a joint effort between Ovako Oy and

the Finnish Institute for Occupational Health

Basic concepts have been incorporated into other

posture analysis systems (e.g., RULA, REBA, Univ. of
Michigan, etc.)
Why do we Measure Posture?
Job evaluation and Redesign
o Determine if current postural
demands are acceptable
o Establish baseline to evaluate
effectiveness of interventions
o Identify job attributes associated
with awkward postures
o Evaluate intervention
effectiveness by comparing to
baseline

Epidemiology/Research
○ Measure dose‐response models
 How to do OWAS
o Standards of posture for arms, trunk and legs.

o Observe body’s instantaneous movement at all points.

o Score code recorded for all points and the name of the work
activity being assessed.

o The data collected is compared against suggested to action

categories, which determine whether some corrective action
needs to be taken to reduce the risk of injury.
Posture analysis using OWAS consider the following:
Arm Back /
positio Trunk Load
n posture carried

Leg
Positi
on
 OWAS
Postures
Back Posture

1 Straight or Upright 3 Straight and Twisted

2 Leaning Forward 4 Bent and Twisted

Arm Posture

1 Both below elbow joint 3 Both above elbow joint

2 One above elbow joint

Legs’ Work

1 Sitting 4 Standing with legs bent 7 Walking

2 Standing with legs upright 5 Standing with one leg bent

3 Standing with one leg 6 Kneeling on one or both

upright knees
Load carried

1 Below 10 kg 3 Above 20 kg

2 Within the range of 10-

20 kg

1 2 3
OWAS Chart
 OWAS Action Category
Action Category Explanation

1 Normal and natural postures with no harmful effect on the

musculoskeletal system
-No action required

2 Posture with some harmful effect on the musculoskeletal

system
-Corrective actions required in the near future

3 Postures have a harmful effect on the musculoskeletal

system
-Corrective actions should be done as soon as possible

4 The load caused by these posture has a very harmful effect

on the musculoskeletal system
-Corrective actions for improvement required
immediately
OWAS Worksheet
 Aerodynam

OWAS
ic design

APPLICATIO
N

Adjustab
le height
 Example 1:
Back Arms Legs Load
Scores:
2 1 1 1

Result:
2: Posture with some harmful effect on the
musculoskeletal system
 Example 2:
Back Arms Legs Load
Scores:
4 1 5 3

*weight of steel drum: approx. 22 kg

Result:
4: The load caused by these posture has a very
harmful effect on the musculoskeletal system
 Example 3:
Back Arms Legs Load
Scores:
2 1 6 1

Result:
2: Posture with some harmful effect on the
musculoskeletal system
 Advantages of using OWAS
o Relatively easy to learn and use Results can be
compared against benchmarks to establish
intervention priority
o Scores at each body part can be used for “before”
and “after” comparisons to evaluate intervention
effectiveness
o Scores at each body part can be used in
epidemiological studies
o Relatively easy to customize system to specific user
needs
 Weaknesses of using OWAS
o Posture categories are rather broad for the trunk and
shoulders

o No information on duration of postures

o Method does not separate left and right arms

o Method gives no information for the elbow or wrist

 To understand OWAS further…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP6OiMwv78w
 Multipurpo
se shelf

Stable

THANK
support

YOU!
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