ABSTRACT
Work content refers to those activities that constitute the nature of the job composition. The work context, the setting (i.e. physical, organizational, social, and individual growth) in which the work activities take place, and the work content characterize the spectrum of the work demands input to the worker. Work content can be subdivided into physical and mental demands components. The physical demands component describes the set of activities that require dynamic body movement and static exertion to maintain a given posture. The mental demands component describe the set of activities executed by the brain’s perceptual and cognitive processes. Assessment of physical work is an essential component of the health and safety programs as well as job redesign and work improvement efforts. However, while overwhelmingly regarded as essential, detailed general purpose tools for the assessment of the entire spectrum of industrial physical demands do not exist.
