Overhead Work Infographic

A known MSD risk strongly related to the development of shoulder and neck injuries and pain.

mannequins showing overhead work postures in ideal, 60 degrees, overhead best case and overhead distance from body
mannequins showing different overhead working postures for high precision tasks, the direction of force, and prolonged time

A) Eliminate overhead work when possible.
B) Keep the upper arm below 60° of elevation.
C) When required, design overhead work to reduce injury risk.
D) Avoid reaching far from the body.
E) Limit high precision overhead tasks (in frequency and duration).
F) Apply force in-line with the vertical (i.e. push straight up or pull straight down).
G) Rest often—take a 1 minute break after 10 minutes of continuous overhead work.

GREEN – No action required if tasks are not held or repeated for long periods and no MSD symptoms are reported. Continue to monitor for MSD symptoms and check after workplace or process changes. YELLOW – Investigations and improvement needed in the longer term. Investigation and improvement needed immediately if MSD symptoms are present. ORANGE – Further assessment or improvement needed immediately.

Reduce the Risk of Injury

Try to maintain shoulder postures in the green working range with only shorts bouts of work in the yellow and orange.

mannequins showing which range of motion is green, yellow, and orange for overhead work

Ideas for Reducing Hazards when Working Overhead

  • Keep arm elevations below 60º and don’t elevate the arm above 90° for more than 10% of an entire work day.
  • When possible, adjust tooling and/or workspace to decrease time spent working overhead.
  • Perform work close to the body to avoid reaching.
  • Ensure your arm is free to rotate.
  • Ensure tasks completed overhead have low precision requirements.
  • Keep the overhead applied force in the vertical plane.
  • Use light-weight tools to reduce the load on your shoulders.
  • Introduce rests to give the body time to recover.

Did you know?

  • Overhead work fatigues muscles in the shoulder more quickly than non-overhead work.
  • Increased exposure to overhead work is linked to increased severity of shoulder and neck injury and can include:
    • Decreased work performance.
    • Missed time from work.
    • Delayed return to work.
    • May contribute to chronic injury and inability to work.
       
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