Finals - (1) OWAS

Question 1

what is developed as a joint effort between Ovako Oy and the Finnish Institute for Occupational Health?

Answer 1

Ovako Working Assessment System

Question 2

when is the Ovako Working Posture Assessment System created?

Answer 2

mid-1970s

Question 3

what company build the Ovako Working Posture Assessment System?

Answer 3

Ovako Oy

Question 4

it is a private steel company in Finland

Answer 4

Ovako Oy

Question 5

what parts of the body does the OWAS posture classification system all about?

Answer 5

neck, trunk, lower body, and arms

Question 6

why do we measure posture?

Answer 6

for job evaluation and redesign, for epidemiology/reseach

Question 7

what determines if the current postural demands are acceptable?

Answer 7

job evaluation and redesign

Question 8

what establish baseline to evaluate effectiveness of interventions?

Answer 8

job evaluation and redesign

Question 9

what identify job attributes associated with awkward postures?

Answer 9

job evaluation and redesign

Question 10

what evaluate intervention effectiveness by comparing to baseline?

Answer 10

job evaluation and redesign

Question 11

what measure exposure for dose-response model?

Answer 11

epidemiology/research

Question 12

what assessment system where user makes a series of instantaneous observations to record posture at 4 joints namely, trunk, arms, lower body, and neck?

Answer 12

OWAS

Question 13

this where the percentage of time in each pre-defined category is computed

Answer 13

OWAS

Question 14

OWAS results are compared to ___?

Answer 14

benchmarks

Question 15

what are the 4 trunk postures?

Answer 15

1.) straight/upright = “neutral”
2.) bent forward = “pure flexion”
3.) straight and twisted = “pure axial and twisting
4.) bent and twisted = combination of flexion, lateral bending and/or twisting

Question 16

what trunk posture is also known as “neutral” position?

Answer 16

straight or upright

Question 17

what another name is given to the trunk posture “bent forward” ?

Answer 17

pure flexion

Question 18

what trunk posture is also known as “pure axial twisting” position?

Answer 18

straight and twisted

Question 19

the bent and twisted trunk posture is a combination of ___?

Answer 19

flexion, lateral bending and/or twisting

Question 20

what are the 3 arm postures?

Answer 20

1.) both arms below shoulder height = “neutral”
2.) one arm above shoulder height
3.) both arms above shoulder height

Question 21

what arm posture is also known as “neutral” position?

Answer 21

both arms below shoulder height

Question 22

this is define as elbow above shoulder height

Answer 22

one arm above shoulder height

Question 23

what are the 7 lower back postures?

Answer 23

1.) sitting
2.) standing (weight on 2 legs, knees straight)
3.) standing (weight on 1 leg, knees straight)
4.) standing (weight on 2 legs, knees bent)
5.) standing (weight on 1 leg, knees bent)
6.) kneeling (1 or 2 knees touching the ground
7.) walking or moving

Question 24

what are the 5 head and neck posture?

Answer 24

1.) upright/free = “neutral”
2.) bent forward =flexion more than 30°
3.) bent to side = pure lateral bending more than 30°
4.) bent backward = extension more than 30°
5.) twisted = axial twisting more than 45°

Question 25

what head and neck posture flexion more than 30°?

Answer 25

bent forward

Question 26

what head and neck posture is the neutral position?

Answer 26

upright/free

Question 27

what head and neck posture is axial twisting more than 45°?

Answer 27

twisted

Question 28

what head and neck posture extension more than 30°?

Answer 28

bent backward

Question 29

what head and neck posture is pure lateral bending more than 30°?

Answer 29

bent to side

Question 30

what is the OWAS stress ranking system?

Answer 30

normal posture, slightly harmful, distinctly harmful, extremely harmful

Question 31

in the OWAS ranking system, this means corrective action should be taken as soon as possible?

Answer 31

distinctly harmful

Question 32

in the OWAS ranking system, this means corrective action should be taken during next regular review of work methods?

Answer 32

slightly harmful

Question 33

in the OWAS ranking system, this means corrective action should be take immediately?

Answer 33

extremely harmful

Question 34

in the OWAS ranking system, this means no intervention is required?

Answer 34

normal posture

Question 35

what is one of the advantages of OWAS where results can be compared against benchmarks to establish intervention priority?

Answer 35

relatively easy to learn and use

Question 36

what are the other 3 advantages of OWAS?

Answer 36

1.) scores at each body part can be used for “before” and “after” comparisons to evaluate intervention effectiveness

2.) score at each body part can be used in epidemiological studies

3.) relatively easy to customize system to specific user needs

Question 37

what are the weaknesses of OWAS?

Answer 37

1.) posture categories are rather broad for the trunk and shoulders

2.) no information on duration of postures

3.) method does not separate left and right arms

4.) method gives no information for the elbow or wrist