Özel Gereksinimli Çalışanların Çalışma Duruşlarının REBA ve RULA Yöntemleri ile İncelenmesi/Evaluation of Working Postures of Employees with Special Needs Using REBA and RULA Methods

Purpose: The aim of this study is; to ensure the adaptation of work to people and people to work by determining the ergonomic risks that employees with special needs may face in the work environment and reducing the risks to an acceptable risk level. Humans have to actively participate in their working life to improve the quality of life and meet basic needs. To ensure the participation and continuity of disabled people in working life in our country, work environment, working postures, and how the job is done should be evaluated according to a worker's special needs. Adjustments that to be held for employees with special needs in a work environment will enhance an individual's performance and productivity, and it will also be effective in having equal rights with other employees. Evaluation of these employees' working postures in terms of ergonomics can provide appraising employee performance, increase work productivity, reduce musculoskeletal injuries, and prevent occupational diseases. Material and Methods: In this work, ergonomically based risk assessment has been made for disabled employees with orthopedic insufficiency in different working postures using REBA and RULA methods. While analyzing working postures ergonomically, REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) and RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) methods can be used. In the REBA method, while neck, torso, top, and bottom organs are evaluated simultaneously, as for in the RULA method, the total score is calculated by evaluating parts of the human body such as wrist, lower arm, and upper arm parts along with neck, torso, and leg. Findings: In risk analysis made by evaluation of working postures; REBA and RULA scores have different values. However, these different risk scores were found to correspond to the same risk levels. Results: As a result of the analyzes made, it has been shown that ergonomic problems can be encountered by determining the risk levels of the risks in working postures and the damage to the musculoskeletal system in terms of health.