RULARapid Upper Limb Assessment

The RULA worksheet

The classic single-page scoring sheet for a Rapid Upper Limb Assessment — download it as a free PDF, or let the online tool do the table lookups for you.

The RULA worksheet condenses the whole assessment method — posture diagrams, adjustment boxes and the three scoring tables — onto one A4 page. It is the format most people recognise from training courses and textbooks, and it is still the quickest way to score an assessment with nothing but a pen and a clipboard.

Download the RULA worksheet (PDF)

How to complete the worksheet, step by step

The sheet is worked through in two halves. Scores for each posture come from the diagrams; the boxed numbers next to them are the adjustments.

Part A — arm and wrist analysis

  1. Upper arm — score the flexion/extension range, then adjust: +1 if the shoulder is raised, +1 if the upper arm is abducted, −1 if the arm is supported or the person is leaning.
  2. Lower arm — score the elbow angle, +1 if the arm works across the midline of the body or out to the side.
  3. Wrist — score flexion/extension, +1 if the wrist is bent away from the midline.
  4. Wrist twist — 1 if the wrist stays mainly mid-range of twist, 2 at or near the end of range.
  5. Table A — read the posture score from the four values above.
  6. Muscle use — +1 if the posture is mainly static (held longer than 1 minute) or repeated more than 4 times per minute.
  7. Force/load — 0 to 3 depending on the load and whether it is intermittent, static or repeated.
  8. Wrist & arm score — Table A + muscle use + force/load.

Part B — neck, trunk and leg analysis

  1. Neck — score flexion/extension, +1 if the neck is twisted, +1 if side-bending.
  2. Trunk — score flexion, +1 if the trunk is twisted, +1 if side-bending.
  3. Legs — 1 if the legs and feet are supported and balanced, 2 if not.
  4. Table B — read the posture score from the neck, trunk and leg values.
  5. Muscle use and force/load — scored exactly as in Part A, for the neck, trunk and legs.
  6. Grand score — combine the wrist & arm score and the neck, trunk & leg score in Table C to get the final RULA score of 1 to 7.

Reading the result: the four action levels

  • Score 1–2 · Action level 1 — the posture is acceptable if it is not maintained or repeated for long periods.
  • Score 3–4 · Action level 2 — further investigation is needed and changes may be required.
  • Score 5–6 · Action level 3 — investigation and changes are required soon.
  • Score 7 · Action level 4 — investigation and changes are required immediately.

Worksheet or online tool?

The paper sheet is ideal on the workshop floor. The trade-off is the manual table lookups — three tables per assessment, and twice that if you score both arms — which is where transcription and arithmetic errors creep in. The online assessment uses the same postures, adjustments and tables, but does every lookup automatically, shows the running scores as you go, and produces a PDF summary of the completed assessment. If you are looking for a RULA Excel spreadsheet, the online tool covers the same need: the tables are built in and the arithmetic is done for you.

Reference

McAtamney, L. and Corlett, E.N. "RULA: a survey method for the investigation of work-related upper limb disorders." Applied Ergonomics 1993, 24(2), 91–99. Always refer to the original methodology to check the correct use of the scores.