Ergonomics and MSD Prevention (OSHA Guidelines) questions for the ASP
ASP11 Domain 3: Ergonomics (3.1 Ergonomics program elements; 3.2 Risk factors; 3.5 Manual material handling; 3.6 Work practice controls). 10 free questions below. Every answer quotes and links the regulation paragraph it rests on.
Regulations covered
- OSHA 3182, Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2009) Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics
- OSHA 3192, Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2004) Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics
Text pulled from the eCFR, current as of .
Question 1
A grocery store safety coordinator reviews the produce department. A clerk spends several minutes at a time stocking a top display shelf, with both arms raised above shoulder height, then moves on to another task. The coordinator wants to name the risk factor that best describes the arm position. Which risk factor applies?
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Answer: C. Awkward and static posture
OSHA's retail grocery ergonomics guidelines list prolonged or repetitive reaching above shoulder height as an awkward and static posture. Contact stress involves pressing the body against hard or sharp edges, which is not described. Repetition means the same motion done continually, and force means physical effort such as pushing or pulling; neither is the main issue here.
Answer C rests on
OSHA 3192, Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2004), PDF p. 9(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Awkward and static postures – assuming positions that place stress on the body, such as prolonged or repetitive reaching above shoulder height, kneeling, squatting, leaning over a counter, using a knife with wrists bent, or twisting the torso while lifting (4);”
Question 2
A nursing home administrator learns that several aides reported shoulder and back pain, but none of the injuries involved lifting residents. The aides' tasks include lifting food trays above shoulder level, bending into deep laundry carts, and pushing heavy carts. The administrator wants to decide whether these tasks are a problem. Which approach fits the OSHA nursing home guidelines?
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Answer: B. Consider the duration, frequency, and magnitude of exposure to forceful exertions, repetitive activities, and awkward postures
OSHA's nursing home ergonomics guidelines say these tasks may not be problems in every circumstance, and employers should weigh duration, frequency, and magnitude of exposure to forceful exertions, repetitive work, and awkward postures. Ignoring non-lifting tasks, buying equipment with no review, or waiting for formal diagnoses all skip that assessment.
Answer B rests on
OSHA 3182, Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2009), PDF p. 29(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Employers should consider the duration, frequency, and magnitude of employee exposure to forceful exertions, repetitive activities, and awkward postures when determining if problems exist in these and other areas.”
Question 3
A nursing assistant tells her supervisor that her shoulders ache after each shift but she has not reported it because "it's not a real injury yet." The facility is updating its employee training. Which training point from OSHA's nursing home guidelines best addresses her attitude?
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Answer: A. Training should cover how to recognize MSDs and their early signs, and the advantages of addressing early signs before serious injury develops
OSHA's nursing home guidelines say employee training should cover recognizing MSDs and early indications, the advantages of addressing them before serious injury, and the facility's reporting procedures. Waiting for serious symptoms defeats early action. Recognition is not limited to supervisors, and reporting procedures are part of the training content.
Answer A rests on
OSHA 3182, Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2009), PDF p. 33(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“how to recognize MSDs and their early indications; the advantages of addressing early indications of MSDs before serious injury has developed; and the nursing home’s procedures for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses as required by OSHA’s injury and illness recording and reporting regulation (29 CFR 1904).”
Question 4
A grocery store employee who has a pre-existing shoulder problem reports that stocking overhead shelves for the past month made the shoulder pain much worse. The manager says the condition began outside work, so it cannot be work-related. Under the recordkeeping approach described in OSHA's grocery guidelines, what is the best response?
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Answer: B. Treat it as work-related, because work exposure significantly aggravated a pre-existing MSD.
OSHA's guidelines, citing the recordkeeping rule, say an MSD is work-related if work exposure caused or contributed to it, or significantly aggravated a pre-existing MSD. The pre-existing condition does not rule it out. The guidelines do not limit this to carpal tunnel or require work to be the only cause.
Answer B rests on
OSHA 3192, Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2004), PDF p. 6(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“As required by OSHA’s recordkeeping rule (29 CFR 1904), employers should consider an MSD to be workrelated if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the MSD, or significantly aggravated a pre-existing MSD.”
Question 5
A nursing home names a staff member to plan and manage its ergonomics effort. She will review the facility's injury logs for patterns, walk the units with a checklist to spot lifting hazards, and later judge whether the new equipment actually reduced strain. Which training does OSHA's nursing home guidelines say she needs for this role?
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Answer: D. Training to identify problems through observation, checklists and injury data analysis, select proper equipment and work practices, and evaluate how well the ergonomics efforts work
OSHA's guidelines say program managers need training to identify problems by observation, checklists, or injury data analysis, select equipment and work practices, help others implement solutions, and evaluate results. Lift use alone, reporting procedures alone, or personal symptom recognition covers only part of what her planning role requires.
Answer D rests on
OSHA 3182, Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2009), PDF p. 34(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“information and training that will allow them to: ■ identify potential problems related to physical activities in the workplace through observation, use of checklists, injury data analysis, or other analytical tools; ■ address problems by selecting proper equipment and work practices; ■ help other workers implement solutions; and ■ evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomics efforts.”
Question 6
A grocery store has trained two employees to lead its ergonomics efforts. They completed initial training last year. Since then, the store added self-checkout stations and a new bakery display system. What does OSHA's guidance suggest the store provide for its employees?
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Answer: C. Refresher training to address new developments in the workplace and reinforce what was learned in the initial training
OSHA's grocery ergonomics guidelines say employees benefit from refresher training that addresses new workplace developments and reinforces earlier learning. Relying only on initial training misses the new stations and displays, training only new hires leaves current staff behind, and training vendors does not reach the store's employees.
Answer C rests on
OSHA 3192, Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2004), PDF p. 12(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Grocery store employees will also benefit from refresher training to address new developments in the workplace and to reinforce knowledge acquired in the initial training.”
Question 7
A resident weighing under 200 pounds needs to be moved up in bed. The resident can help when cued, and staff can encourage use of a positioning aid. A nursing assistant plans to do it alone by pulling from the head of the bed. According to the guidelines, what is the appropriate method?
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Answer: A. A friction-reducing device with 2-3 caregivers
OSHA's nursing home ergonomics guidelines call for encouraging a partly able resident to help, and for a friction-reducing device with 2-3 caregivers when the resident is under 200 pounds. A one-person pull from the head of the bed is not acceptable. Five caregivers is more than called for. A sling lift operated by one person is not the listed method for this case.
Answer A rests on
OSHA 3182, Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2009), PDF p. 17(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Encourage patient to assist using a positioning aid or cues. If patient is <200 pounds: Use a friction-reducing device and 2-3 caregivers.”
Question 8
A grocery store safety coordinator is deciding which job tasks to study first for ergonomic risk. Cashiers scan items all day, bakery workers decorate cakes in fixed positions, and meat cutters make repeated cuts. The coordinator wants to look for the risk factors that OSHA's grocery guidelines call the most important. Which set should the coordinator look for?
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Answer: A. Force, repetition, awkward posture, and static postures
OSHA's grocery guidelines name force, repetition, awkward posture, and static postures as the most important ergonomic risk factors in these tasks. Noise and similar conditions, scheduling and pay factors, and safety hazards such as slips or electrical contact are not the listed ergonomic risk factors.
Answer A rests on
OSHA 3192, Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2004), PDF p. 6(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“The most important of these include force, repetition, awkward posture, and static postures (4).”
Question 9
A grocery store manager wants an on-site review of lifting and stocking tasks by a qualified safety and health professional. She asks who actually delivers OSHA's free consultation service. Which answer is correct?
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Answer: C. State governments deliver it, with funding primarily from federal OSHA, so she should contact her state's consultation program
OSHA's guidelines say consultation is funded primarily by federal OSHA but delivered by state governments and U.S. territories. The training center offers courses, not on-site consultation. Insurers and the Food Marketing Institute are not named as delivering the service.
Answer C rests on
OSHA 3192, Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2004), PDF p. 27(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“OSHA Consultation is funded primarily by federal OSHA but delivered by the 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.”
Question 10
A single nursing assistant plans to reposition a resident up in bed. She will stand at the head of the bed and pull the resident under the arms. She has lowered the side rail and put the bed flat. According to the OSHA nursing home guidelines, what is wrong with her plan?
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Answer: D. It is not a one-person task, and pulling from the head of the bed should not be done
OSHA's nursing home ergonomics guidelines state that pulling a patient up in bed is not a one-person task and must not be done from the head of the bed. Keeping the side rail down and the bed flat are acceptable per the guidance. The bed should be at the caregiver's elbows, not at its highest setting.
Answer D rests on
OSHA 3182, Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (2009), PDF p. 17(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“This is not a one person task - DO NOT PULL FROM HEAD OF BED.”