Rapid Upper Limb Assessment RULA Calculator

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

A Arm and wrist analysis

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

Step 1 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 1a: 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 2 Locate the lower arm position

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

Step 2a: Adjust

Arm working across the midline or out to the side of the body+1

Lower arm score 

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Step 3 Locate the wrist position

Wrist straight (0°)+1Wrist 15° extension to 15° flexion+2Wrist extended more than 15°+3Wrist flexed more than 15°+3

Step 3a: Adjust

Wrist bent from midline+1

Wrist score 

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Step 4 Score the wrist twist

Wrist twisted mainly in the mid-range+1Wrist twisted at or near the end of its range+2

Wrist twist score 

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Step 5 Posture score from Table A

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Step 6 Add the muscle use score

Posture mainly static (held longer than 1 minute) or repeated more than 4 times per minute+1

Muscle use score 

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Step 7 Add the force or load score

Less than 4.4 lb (2 kg), intermittent+04.4–22 lb (2–10 kg), intermittent+14.4–22 lb (2–10 kg), static or repeated+2More than 22 lb (10 kg), or repeated loads or shocks+3

Force/load score 

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Step 8 Wrist and arm score: Table A plus muscle use and force/load

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B Neck, trunk and leg analysis

Step 9 Locate the neck position

Neck flexed 0–10°+1Neck flexed 10–20°+2Neck flexed more than 20°+3Neck in extension+4

Step 9a: Adjust

Neck twisted+1Neck side bending+1

Neck score 

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Step 10 Locate the trunk position

Trunk upright (0°), or well supported while seated+1Trunk flexed 0–20°+2Trunk flexed 20–60°+3Trunk flexed more than 60°+4

Step 10a: Adjust

Trunk twisted+1Trunk side bending+1

Trunk score 

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Step 11 Score the legs

Legs and feet supported, weight evenly balanced+1Legs or feet not supported, or weight uneven+2

Legs score 

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Step 12 Posture score from Table B

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Step 13 Add the muscle use score

Posture mainly static (held longer than 1 minute) or repeated more than 4 times per minute+1

Muscle use score 

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Step 14 Add the force or load score

Less than 4.4 lb (2 kg), intermittent+04.4–22 lb (2–10 kg), intermittent+14.4–22 lb (2–10 kg), static or repeated+2More than 22 lb (10 kg), or repeated loads or shocks+3

Force/load score 

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Step 15 Neck, trunk and leg score: Table B plus muscle use and force/load

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How to use the RULA 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 upper arm, lower arm and wrist (steps 1 to 4) for one side of the body, including how far the wrist is twisted. The calculator looks up the Table A posture score (step 5).
3. Add muscle use and force or load (steps 6 and 7). That gives the wrist and arm score (step 8).
4. Score the neck, trunk and legs (steps 9 to 11). The calculator looks up the Table B posture score (step 12).
5. Add muscle use and force or load again (steps 13 and 14) for the neck, trunk and legs. That gives the neck, trunk and leg score (step 15).
6. Read the RULA score from Table C, with its action 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 RULA assessment tool or the RULA lesson in Mastering Ergonomics. To score on paper, download the RULA worksheet (PDF).

How the RULA score is calculated

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

• Wrist and arm score combines the upper arm, lower arm, wrist and wrist twist scores into a posture score from Table A, then adds muscle use (0 or 1) and force or load (0 to 3).
• Neck, trunk and leg score combines the neck, trunk and leg scores into a posture score from Table B, then adds muscle use (0 or 1) and force or load (0 to 3).
• Table C combines the two scores into the final RULA score, from 1 to 7.

RULA action levels

ErgoPlus also reports a risk index, the RULA score divided by 3. The design goal is a risk index of 1.0 or lower, which is a RULA score of 3 or lower. Above 1.0, the higher the index, the greater the risk.

RULA example

This is the worked example from our RULA guide. The upper arm is flexed between 45° and 90° and abducted, the elbow is bent less than 60°, and the wrist is flexed more than 15°, bent from midline and twisted in the mid-range. The neck is flexed 10 to 20° and bent to the side, the trunk is flexed less than 20°, and the legs and feet are supported. The load is 4.4 to 22 lb, static or repeated, and the posture is not held for more than a minute.

• Wrist and arm score: upper arm 4, lower arm 2, wrist 4 and wrist twist 1 give 5 from Table A. Adding 2 for the load gives 7.
• Neck, trunk and leg score: neck 3, trunk 2 and legs 1 give 3 from Table B. Adding 2 for the load gives 5.
• RULA score: 7 and 5 give 7 from Table C.

A RULA score of 7, a risk index of 2.33, means investigate and implement change. Load this example into the calculator.

When to use RULA

RULA suits tasks done mostly with the arms, wrists and neck, such as assembly, packing or computer work at a fixed workstation. When the whole body is working, including the legs, or the posture is unstable, use the REBA calculator. 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 RULA assessments

This calculator does not save your results. RULA 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: McAtamney, L. and Corlett, E. N. (1993). RULA: a survey method for the investigation of work-related upper limb disorders. Applied Ergonomics, 24(2), 91–99.