Article Sidebar

Download
Pdf
Statistic
Read Counter : 18 Download : 5

Main Article Content

Abstract

Motor vehicle inspection plays an essential role in ensuring that vehicles comply with roadworthiness requirements and transportation safety standards. One stage of inspection with potential ergonomic risks is emissions testing, because motor vehicle inspectors must insert a probe into the vehicle exhaust pipe, operate a smoke tester or gas analyzer, and observe the test results while adopting various working postures. These activities are often performed in bent or squatting positions and involve repeatedly maintaining static postures, which may lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This descriptive quantitative study analyzed the working postures of 30 motor vehicle inspectors during emissions testing using the Nordic Body Map (NBM), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), supported by posture simulation with Siemens Jack 8.4 software. NBM was used to identify musculoskeletal complaints based on respondents' perceptions, whereas REBA and RULA objectively evaluated whole-body and upper-body postural risk. NBM classified 53.3% of inspectors as low risk and 46.7% as moderate risk, with complaints most frequently involving the neck, shoulders, back, lower back, and knees. REBA classified 30.0% of postures as low risk, 36.7% as moderate risk, and 33.3% as high risk. RULA classified 6.7% as low risk, 26.7% as moderate risk, 13.3% as high risk, and 53.3% as very high risk. The principal contributing factors were low exhaust-pipe height, trunk flexion during probe insertion, prolonged static postures, and repetitive movement. The contrast between subjective complaints and observational scores suggests that hazardous postures may be present before severe symptoms are consistently perceived. Ergonomic improvements are therefore required, including assistive devices, work rotation, feasible adjustment of working height, and training in appropriate postures to reduce MSD risk and improve occupational safety and health

Keywords

emissions testing musculoskeletal disorders Nordic Body Map REBA RULA

Article Details

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
Dwi Gusmaylia, A. ., Wibowo, H., Sugianto, S., Rifano, R., & Phahlevi , R. . (2026). Ergonomic Risk Analysis of Working Postures of Motor Vehicle Inspectors During Emissions Testing Using the NBM, REBA, and RULA Methods. Jurnal Penelitian, 11(2), 148–157. https://doi.org/10.46491/jp.v11i2.2620

References

  1. Ajid, A. et al. (2025) ‘Mitigating Ergonomic Risks through Lean Ergonomics and Karakuri Kaizen Using NBM and RULA’, Jurnal EMAK, 4(2).
  2. Alsanad, H.R. and sadik, A.Z. (2022) ‘YOLO-V3 Based Real-time Drone Detection Algorithm’, 4th International Conference on Communication Engineering and Computer Science (CIC-COCOS’2022) [Preprint]. Cihan University. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24086/cocos2022/paper.502.
  3. Beatrix, M.E. and Wijayanto, A.W. (2023) ‘Posture Analysis Using the REBA and Nordic Body Map Methods to Reduce the Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Automotive Company’, International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research and Engineering, 9(5).
  4. Berty Dwi Rahmawati and Eka Anggraini (2024) ‘Analisis Postur Kerja Dengan Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) Untuk Mengurangi Risiko Musculoskeletal Disorders’, Manufaktur: Publikasi Sub Rumpun Ilmu Keteknikan Industri, 2(3), pp. 09–21. Available at: https://doi.org/10.61132/manufaktur.v2i3.441.
  5. Bridger, R.S. (2018) Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics. 4th edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
  6. Hignett, S. and McAtamney, L. (2000) ‘Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA)’, Applied Ergonomics, 31(2), pp. 201–205. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-6870(99)00039-3.
  7. Indonesia, K.P.R. (2021) Peraturan Menteri Perhubungan Nomor PM 19 Tahun 2021 tentang Pengujian Berkala Kendaraan Bermotor. Jakarta: Kementerian Perhubungan Republik Indonesia.
  8. McAtamney, L. and Corlett, E.N. (1993) ‘RULA: A Survey Method for the Investigation of Work-related Upper Limb Disorders’, Applied Ergonomics, 24(2), pp. 91–99. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-6870(93)90080-S.
  9. Organization, W.H. (2022) Musculoskeletal Conditions. Geneva: World Health Organization.
  10. Umyati, A.S. and Mariawati, A.S. (2025) ‘Work Posture Analysis and Complaint Risk Using Nordic Body Map (NBM) and REBA Methods’, Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering [Preprint].
  11. Wilson, J.R. and Corlett, E.N. (2005) Evaluation of Human Work. 3rd edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press.