REBA calculator

Score a work posture using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method, and get the risk level and recommended action straight away.

This tool gives general guidance only. It is not a substitute for an assessment by a qualified professional, or for consulting your workers as required under work health and safety law.

The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere. It shows every intermediate score so you can check the working against a paper worksheet.

What is REBA?

Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) is a posture analysis method for scoring the risk of musculoskeletal injury in a single work posture. It was published by Sue Hignett and Lynn McAtamney in 2000 (Applied Ergonomics, 31(2): 201–205), and was designed for the unpredictable, whole-body postures common in health care and other service work.

REBA scores the body in two groups, then combines them:

• Group A scores the neck, trunk and legs, then adds a score for load or force.
• Group B scores the upper arm, lower arm and wrist, then adds a score for coupling, meaning how good the grip or hand hold is.
• Table C combines the two, and an activity score is added for static, repeated or rapidly changing postures.

The final score runs from 1 to 15:

How to do a REBA assessment

1. Watch the task first. Observe several cycles before you score anything.
2. Pick the posture to score. Choose the worst posture, the one held longest or the one repeated most often. If you're unsure, score more than one and compare them side by side.
3. Use photos or video. Pause on the posture you've chosen so you can judge joint angles, rather than estimating them as the worker moves.
4. Score each side if they differ. REBA scores one side of the body at a time. If the left and right arms work differently, score both and use the higher result.
5. Record what you saw. Print the worksheet, and keep it with the photo or video and the task details.

REBA vs RULA

REBA and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) were developed by overlapping authors and work in a similar way. RULA, published in 1993, focuses on the neck, trunk and upper limbs, and suits seated or largely static work such as assembly or computer use. REBA scores the whole body, including the legs and the quality of the grip, so it suits tasks where workers bend, twist, kneel or handle loads, such as patient handling or warehouse picking.

The limits of REBA

REBA is a quick screening tool, not a full risk assessment.

• It scores one posture at a time. It doesn't measure how long the task lasts, or the cumulative load over a shift.
• Results vary between assessors, especially when angles are estimated by eye.
• It doesn't account for the worker's own capacity, the work environment or psychosocial factors such as time pressure.

Use REBA alongside a full manual task risk assessment, which looks at the whole task, its duration and frequency, and the people doing it.

What to do with a high REBA score

A Medium score or above means change is needed. Redesign the task first, because changing the task removes the risk for everyone who does it:

• raise, lower or move the work so it sits between knee and shoulder height
• use mechanical aids, such as hoists, tippers or trolleys, to take the load
• reduce load weights, or split them
• rotate tasks to reduce the time spent in the worst posture.

At one council client, EMP's assessments showed that switching to a tipper cut one task's risk score by 95.5%, and the task's completion time fell from 5 minutes to 1.

Training workers in technique has a place, but it won't fix a task that's badly designed. Our task analyses measure the risk in each manual task, our ergonomics team redesigns the work, and manual handling coaching helps workers adopt the new way of working.

Frequently asked questions

What does a REBA score mean?

It's a measure of the musculoskeletal injury risk in one posture, from 1 (negligible) to 15 (very high). Each score band has a matching action level, from no action needed to implement change now.

What is a high REBA score?

A score of 8 to 10 is high risk, meaning you should investigate and implement change. A score of 11 or more is very high risk and needs change now. Scores of 4 to 7 are medium risk and still call for change soon.

Is REBA used in Australia?

Yes. Physiotherapists, ergonomists and WHS professionals in Australia use REBA as one of several posture analysis methods for manual tasks. It isn't required by WHS law, which leaves the choice of risk assessment method to the employer.

Can REBA replace a manual task risk assessment?

No. REBA scores a single posture. A manual task risk assessment also looks at how long and how often the task is done, the forces and loads involved, the work environment and the workers themselves. Use REBA as one input to that assessment.