PERFORMING A PHYSICAL DEMANDS ANALYSIS
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Posture – Back
Bending Forward – to bend forward and downward by bending the spine at the waist.
Bending Backwards – to extend the back, backwards (arching the back).
Twisting – twisting the upper body (trunk) or bending the upper body to the side (lateral bending).
Posture – Reaching
Above shoulder level – moving hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction so that the hand(s) is/are above
the shoulders (while handling objects less than 5 lbs.).
Chest to shoulder level – moving the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction so that the hand(s) is/are
between chest and shoulder level (while handling objects less than 5 lbs.). If the upper arm(s) is/are
hanging vertically at ones sides, this is not considered reaching.
Below chest level – moving the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction so that the hand(s) is/are below
chest level (while handling objects less than 5 lbs.). If the upper arm(s) are hanging vertically at ones
sides, this is not considered reaching.
Behind the body – moving the hand(s) and arm(s) anywhere behind the body
Posture – Elbow/Forearm/Wrist
Elbow Flexion/Extension – to bend and/or straighten the arm, moving about the elbow joint.
Wrist Flexion/Extenstion – to bend and/or straighten the hand, moving about the wrist joint.
Wrist rotation – to twist/turn the wrist (as if to open a door handle).
Posture – Neck
Forward Bending/Flexion – to curve or flex the neck forward/downward towards the chest.
Backward Bending/Ext. – to curve or extend the neck backwards as if to look up (i.e. towards the
ceiling).
Twisting/Turning/Tilting – to look/turn the neck sideways towards the shoulder, or to tilt the head
so that the ear moves closer towards the shoulder.
Posture – Hip/Knee/Ankle/Foot
Crouching/Squatting – bending the body forward and downward by bending the knees and
spine/hips.
Kneeling – bending one or both knees, to come to rest on the knees.
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