Rapid Entire Body Assessment REBA Calculator

Score the whole-body posture risk of a job task in a few minutes. Pick the posture that matches each step, and the calculator works out the REBA score, risk level and risk index as you go, using the published REBA worksheet.

A Neck, trunk and leg analysis

Step 1 Locate the neck position

Neck flexed 0–20°+1Neck flexed more than 20°+2Neck in extension+2

Step 1a: Adjust

Neck twisted+1Neck side bending+1

Twisting and side bending add +1 in total, not +1 each.

Neck score 

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Step 2 Locate the trunk position

Trunk upright (0°)+1Trunk flexed 0–20°+2Trunk extended 0–20°+2Trunk flexed 20–60°+3Trunk extended more than 20°+3Trunk flexed more than 60°+4

Step 2a: Adjust

Trunk twisted+1Trunk side bending+1

Twisting and side bending add +1 in total, not +1 each.

Trunk score 

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Step 3 Locate the legs

Both legs down: weight on both legs, walking or sitting+1One leg raised: weight on one leg or an unstable posture+2

Step 3a: Adjust

Knees bent 30–60°+1Knees bent more than 60° (not sitting)+2

Legs score 

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Step 4 Posture score from Table A

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Step 5 Add the force or load score

Less than 11 lb (5 kg)+011–22 lb (5–10 kg)+1More than 22 lb (10 kg)+2

Step 5a: Adjust

Shock or a rapid build-up of force+1

Force/load score 

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Step 6 Score A: Table A plus force/load

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B Arm and wrist analysis

Score one side at a time. If one arm clearly carries more risk, score that side.

Step 7 Locate the upper arm position

Upper arm 20° extension to 20° flexion+1Upper arm extended more than 20°+2Upper arm flexed 20–45°+2Upper arm flexed 45–90°+3Upper arm flexed more than 90°+4

Step 7a: Adjust

Shoulder raised+1Upper arm abducted+1Arm supported or person leaning−1

The upper arm score never goes below 1.

Upper arm score 

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Step 8 Locate the lower arm position

Elbow flexed 60–100°+1Elbow flexed 0–60°+2Elbow flexed more than 100°+2

Lower arm score 

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Step 9 Locate the wrist position

Wrist 15° extension to 15° flexion+1Wrist extended more than 15°+2Wrist flexed more than 15°+2

Step 9a: Adjust

Wrist bent from midline+1Wrist twisted+1

Bending from midline and twisting add +1 in total, not +1 each.

Wrist score 

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Step 10 Posture score from Table B

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Step 11 Add the coupling score

Good: well-fitting handle and a mid-range power grip+0Fair: acceptable but not ideal hand hold, or coupling with another body part+1Poor: hand hold not acceptable but possible+2Unacceptable: no handles, awkward or unsafe with any body part+3

Coupling score 

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Step 12 Score B: Table B plus coupling

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C Activity score

Step 13 Add the activity score

One or more body parts held for longer than 1 minute (static)+1Repeated small range actions, more than 4 times per minute+1Rapid, large range changes in posture or an unstable base+1

Tick every one that applies; each adds +1.

Activity score 

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How to use the REBA calculator

1. Choose the posture to score. Watch several work cycles and pick the most awkward posture, the one held longest, or the one with the highest load. Photos or video of the task make the angles easier to judge.
2. Score the neck, trunk and legs (steps 1 to 3). Pick the position that matches, then tick any adjustments. The calculator looks up the Table A posture score (step 4).
3. Add the force or load (step 5). Use the weight of the load, plus the adjustment for shock or a rapid build-up of force. That gives Score A (step 6).
4. Score the upper arm, lower arm and wrist (steps 7 to 9) for one side of the body. The calculator looks up the Table B posture score (step 10).
5. Add the coupling (step 11), which rates how well the hands can grip the load. That gives Score B (step 12).
6. Add the activity score (step 13) and read the REBA score, risk level and risk index.
7. Print or save the result as a PDF to keep a record, or start over to score another posture.

For a full walkthrough with photos of every step, read our step-by-step guide to the REBA assessment tool or the REBA lesson in Mastering Ergonomics. To score on paper, download the REBA worksheet (PDF).

How the REBA score is calculated

REBA scores two groups of body segments and then combines them:

• Score A combines the neck, trunk and leg scores into a posture score from Table A, then adds the force or load score (0 to 3).
• Score B combines the upper arm, lower arm and wrist scores into a posture score from Table B, then adds the coupling score (0 to 3).
• Table C combines Score A and Score B, and the activity score (0 to 3) is added to give the final REBA score, from 1 to 15.

REBA risk levels

ErgoPlus also reports a risk index, the REBA score divided by 4. The design goal is a risk index of 1.0 or lower, which is a REBA score of 4 or lower. Above 1.0, the higher the index, the greater the risk.

REBA example

This is the worked example from our REBA guide. The worker’s neck is flexed less than 20°. The trunk is flexed less than 20° and bent to the side, with weight on both legs and the knees straight. The load is 11 to 22 lb. The right upper arm is raised above 90° with the shoulder raised and the arm abducted, the elbow is bent less than 60°, and the wrist is flexed more than 15° and twisted. The coupling is fair, and the task repeats small range actions more than 4 times a minute.

• Score A: trunk 3, neck 1 and legs 1 give 2 from Table A. Adding 1 for the load gives Score A of 3.
• Score B: upper arm 6, lower arm 2 and wrist 3 give 9 from Table B. Adding 1 for fair coupling gives Score B of 10.
• REBA score: Score A of 3 and Score B of 10 give 8 from Table C. Adding 1 for the activity gives a REBA score of 9.

A REBA score of 9, a risk index of 2.25, is high risk: investigate and implement change. Load this example into the calculator.

When to use REBA

REBA suits tasks where the whole body is working, including the legs, and tasks with unstable postures or loads handled by hand. For tasks done mostly with the arms, wrists and neck, such as assembly at a workstation, use RULA. For lifting and lowering, the NIOSH Lifting Equation gives a recommended weight limit, and the Snook Tables cover pushing, pulling and carrying.

Save and track REBA assessments

This calculator does not save your results. REBA in ErgoPlus software keeps every assessment with its photos and notes, compares tasks across worksites and tracks improvements over time. From a video of the task, ErgoPlus computer vision proposes posture scores for you to review.

Source: Hignett, S. and McAtamney, L. (2000). Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Applied Ergonomics, 31(2), 201–205. Worksheet originally developed by Dr. Alan Hedge.