Ergonomics practice questions

Answer: B) An administrative control

• AIncorrect. It doesn't change the workstation.
• BCorrect. It changes how work is organized.
• CIncorrect. It isn't equipment.
• DIncorrect. The task remains.

Answer: C) Hand and wrist disorders

• AIncorrect. That isn't ergonomic.
• BIncorrect. That's the NIOSH equation.
• CCorrect. It rates intensity, duration and other factors.
• DIncorrect. That uses WBGT.

Answer: D) Straight

• AIncorrect. Deviation adds strain.
• BIncorrect. Extension adds strain.
• CIncorrect. Flexion adds strain.
• DCorrect. Avoid bending up, down or sideways.

Answer: C) Higher back injury risk

• AIncorrect. The index compares load to the limit.
• BIncorrect. That's an index of 1.0 or less.
• CCorrect. The task should be redesigned.
• DIncorrect. Speed doesn't reduce risk.

Answer: A) Hand and forearm muscular exertion needed to grip and turn

Powered tools take over the muscular exertion of manual gripping and turning, which reduces the force risk factor. They can add vibration, so tool selection should consider vibration as well.

• ACorrect. The powered tool does the work that the worker's grip and forearm muscles used to do, so the force demand drops. NIOSH lists force, alone and combined with repetition and posture, as a key risk factor for hand, wrist, and elbow disorders.
• BIncorrect. Manual pliers produce essentially no vibration. Switching to a powered tool can add vibration exposure, which NIOSH links to hand-arm vibration syndrome, so vibration is not the factor being reduced.
• CIncorrect. Whole-body vibration comes from vehicles or vibrating platforms, not from a hand tool. Changing the hand tool does not affect it.
• DIncorrect. Neck posture depends on where the work sits relative to the worker's eyes, such as work height and orientation. Swapping the hand tool does not change it.

Answer: C) Adapting the job to the capabilities of the people who perform it

OSHA defines ergonomics as fitting a job to a person. Redesigning bins and platforms so each worker can reach comfortably applies that principle, rather than relying on administrative controls or designing for the average worker.

• AIncorrect. Job rotation is an administrative control that shares out the exposure. It leaves the overhead reach in place, while the recommendation removes it.
• BIncorrect. OSHA guidance says it is not adequate to design for the average or typical worker. Adjustable platforms are meant to fit the range of people who actually do the job.
• CCorrect. Changing the bin height and adding adjustable platforms changes the job to match the workers' reach. This is the core ergonomics principle that OSHA describes as fitting a job to a person.
• DIncorrect. Rest breaks are an administrative control that shortens exposure time. The recommendation is a workstation redesign that removes the overhead reach.

Answer: A) Worker involvement

OSHA lists management support, worker involvement, training, problem identification, and evaluation as key elements of an ergonomics process. When management is committed but workers have no say in changes, worker involvement is the missing element.

• ACorrect. OSHA describes a participatory approach in which employees help identify hazards, voice concerns, and evaluate changes. Leaving operators out of redesigns is why the stations are being rejected.
• BIncorrect. The scenario already includes annual training on MSD risk factors. Training is an OSHA element, but it is not the gap described.
• CIncorrect. Engineers already find high-risk tasks with job-analysis checklists, so problem identification is in place.
• DIncorrect. Controls are reviewed every quarter, so an evaluation process exists. The problem is that the people doing the work had no input.

Answer: A) Lets the worker use large muscle groups and apply more force with less strain

OSHA says pushing is generally better than pulling because it uses large muscle groups and lets the worker apply more force, while pulling carries a greater risk of strain and injury.

• ACorrect. OSHA states that pushing lets the employee use large muscle groups and apply more force to the load, while pulling carries a greater risk of strain and injury.
• BIncorrect. Pushing works better because the legs and body weight contribute. Loading the shoulders with outstretched arms is not the goal.
• CIncorrect. Walking backward describes pulling, and it actually makes it harder to see where you are going. When pushing, the worker faces the direction of travel.
• DIncorrect. Pushing does not lift the wheels. Starting force is reduced by things like good wheel maintenance, larger wheels, and smooth floors.

Answer: A) Swelling of the flexor tendon sheath from repeated forceful gripping, so the tendon catches as the finger straightens

Trigger finger happens when a swollen flexor tendon sheath or a tendon nodule stops smooth gliding, so the finger catches. It is associated with work that needs repeated forceful gripping, such as pulling tool triggers.

• ACorrect. Flexor tendons slide through a sheath (tunnel). When the sheath swells or the tendon develops a nodule, the tendon cannot glide smoothly and catches. The condition is more common in work that needs repeated gripping, such as squeezing tool triggers. Low-force or multi-finger triggers reduce the risk.
• BIncorrect. This describes carpal tunnel syndrome, a nerve disorder that causes numbness and tingling. It does not cause a finger to lock and then snap straight.
• CIncorrect. This describes the vascular part of hand-arm vibration syndrome (vibration white finger). It causes blanching and numbness, not mechanical catching of a flexor tendon.
• DIncorrect. This describes De Quervain's tenosynovitis, which affects the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist. It does not involve the flexor tendon sheath of a finger.

Answer: D) The entire sole of the foot rests on the floor with the knee slightly above the seat

OSHA says chair height is correct when the whole foot rests flat on the floor and the back of the knee is slightly higher than the seat. If needed, a footrest provides foot support and avoids pressure behind the knee.

• AIncorrect. OSHA says the seat pan should support the thigh without the back of the knee touching the front edge. Pressure there can restrict blood flow to the legs.
• BIncorrect. A seat this low flexes the hips sharply and rounds the lower back. OSHA's criterion has the back of the knee only slightly higher than the seat.
• CIncorrect. A seat this high leaves the feet unsupported and loads the underside of the thighs. If the seat can't be lowered, OSHA recommends a footrest.
• DCorrect. This matches OSHA's criterion: the whole sole of the foot on the floor, with the back of the knee slightly higher than the seat. If the seat can't go low enough, a footrest should give stable support.