A Comparison o f RULA, REBA Assessment on Work Activity o f Installing Safety Tape o n Floor Surf ace Using Assistive Tools

Abstract

Safety tape used to mark hazardous, high risk machine and low hanging object in factories, hospital and so on. With the tape, it can warn people to be careful and not play around the area. Additionaly, nowadays the tape is used at all pemises as warning to people to keep social distancing at least 1 meter. Currently, people are installing the safety tape on the floor manually, without any proper assistive tools to apply, measure and cut the safety tape. Unfortunately, this method is time-consuming, and the worker faces body aches such as in the waist, knees, and arms as they need to bend over and be in an uncomfortable posture while laying the tape. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the RULA and REBA assessment of the current method of safety tape installation. The data will contribute to the design and development of assistive tools to install the tape. The tool is assessed using Theory and Innovative Problem Solving and Universal Design Principles (TRIZ-UDP) intervention tools. This tool will contribute towards design features which are deemed suitable to improve the element of universal design. From the UDP-TRIZ, UDP1a has suggested that the product be designed with TRIZ inventive principle "6 Universality". This tool is equitable for Malaysians by making the tools fit the users' height and size. The improvement toward UDP3b and UDP6a contribute towards ergonomic performance. Further after the development, the prototype is later tested, and another set of RULA and REBA assessments is executed to evaluate the improvement. Results of the RULA and REBA assessment onto the task with using the assistive tool has managed to lower the risk, and it can save working time to 34.5%