RULA / REBA Ergonomic Risk Score Calculator
RULA = Rapid Upper Limb Assessment | REBA = Rapid Entire Body Assessment. Both are validated observational tools for scoring musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk from posture, force, and muscle activity — RULA focuses on the upper body for seated/desk-based tasks, REBA covers the whole body for a wider range of static and dynamic tasks. Select posture options from live observation, photos, or video; the calculator applies the official scoring tables automatically.
RULA (Upper Limb)
REBA (Entire Body)
Group A — Arm & Wrist
Upper Arm Position
20° extension to 20° flexion (neutral)
Extension > 20°, or flexion 20°–45°
Flexion 45°–90°
Flexion > 90°
Shoulder is raised (+1)
Upper arm is abducted (+1)
Arm is supported, or person is leaning (−1)
Lower Arm Position
60°–100° flexion
< 60°, or > 100° flexion
Arm working across midline or out to the side of body (+1)
Wrist Position
Neutral (0°)
0°–15° flexion or extension
> 15° flexion or extension
Wrist Twist
Mid-range of twist
At or near end of twist range
Wrist is bent from midline / deviated (+1)
Muscle Use (Arm/Wrist)
Not static, not repeated ≥ 4×/min
Static > 10 min, or repeated ≥ 4×/min
Force / Load (Arm/Wrist)
Load < 4.4 lbs (2 kg), intermittent
4.4–22 lbs (2–10 kg), intermittent
4.4–22 lbs (2–10 kg), static or repeated
> 22 lbs (10 kg), or repeated/shock loading
Group B — Neck, Trunk & Legs
Neck Position
0°–10° flexion
10°–20° flexion
> 20° flexion
In extension
Neck is twisted (+1)
Neck is side bending (+1)
Trunk Position
Sitting, well supported, 90°, neutral
0°–20° flexion
20°–60° flexion
> 60° flexion
Trunk is twisted (+1)
Trunk is side bending (+1)
Legs
Legs and feet supported and balanced
Legs and feet not supported / not balanced
Muscle Use (Neck/Trunk/Legs)
Not static, not repeated ≥ 4×/min
Static > 10 min, or repeated ≥ 4×/min
Force / Load (Neck/Trunk/Legs)
Load < 4.4 lbs (2 kg), intermittent
4.4–22 lbs (2–10 kg), intermittent
4.4–22 lbs (2–10 kg), static or repeated
> 22 lbs (10 kg), or repeated/shock loading
Calculate RULA Score
0
Score B (Neck/Trunk/Leg)
Group A — Trunk, Neck & Legs
Trunk Position
Upright / neutral (0°)
0°–20° flexion or extension
20°–60° flexion, or > 20° extension
> 60° flexion
Trunk is twisted or side flexed (+1)
Neck Position
0°–20° flexion
> 20° flexion, or in extension
Neck is twisted or side flexed (+1)
Legs
Bilateral weight bearing, walking, or sitting
Unilateral, slightly unstable, or unsupported
Knee(s) flexed 30°–60° (not if sitting) (+1)
Knee(s) flexed > 60° (not if sitting) (+2, overrides +1 above)
Force / Load
< 11 lbs (5 kg)
11–22 lbs (5–10 kg)
> 22 lbs (10 kg)
Shock, or rapid build-up of force (+1)
Group B — Upper Arm, Lower Arm & Wrist
Upper Arm Position
20° extension to 20° flexion (neutral)
Extension > 20°, or flexion 20°–45°
Flexion 45°–90°
Flexion > 90°
Shoulder is raised (+1)
Upper arm is abducted (+1)
Arm is supported, or person is leaning (−1)
Lower Arm Position
60°–100° flexion
< 60°, or > 100° flexion
Wrist Position
0°–15° flexion or extension (neutral-ish)
> 15° flexion or extension
Wrist is deviated from midline, or twisted (+1)
Coupling (Grip / Handle Quality)
Good — well-fitting handle, mid-range power grip
Fair — acceptable grip, not ideal, or acceptable via another body part
Poor — handle not well-fitting, awkward but possible
Unacceptable — no handles, awkward, unsafe grip
Activity
One or more body parts held static (> 1 minute) (+1)
Repeated small-range actions (> 4×/min, excluding walking) (+1)
Action causes rapid large posture changes, or unstable base (+1)
Calculate REBA Score
0
Score A (Trunk/Neck/Leg)
Action Level Reference
RULA 1–2 Acceptable posture RULA 3–4 Further investigation, change may be needed RULA 5–6 Further investigation, change soon RULA 7 Investigate and implement change now REBA 1 Negligible risk, no action necessary REBA 2–3 Low risk, change may be needed REBA 4–7 Medium risk, further investigate, change soon REBA 8–10 High risk, investigate and implement change soon REBA 11–15 Very high risk, implement change now
