Ergonomics Case Study: EA-6B Aircraft Maintainer

Keeping our military aircraft mechanics healthy is essential for the defense of the country. To better understand the conditions which on-duty aircraft maintainers face, A series of ergonometric evaluations were performed on a retired United States Marine Corps mechanic as he simulated tasks performed while maintaining EA-6B Prowler aircraft. Four tasks were evaluated with either the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) tool, or the Washington State Risk Assessment Checklist (WAC). The tasks were grouped as being either strenuous or repetitive. The strenuous tasks involved high physical exertion. Repetitive tasks were less demanding but needed to be performed many times during a mechanic’s shift. Two strenuous tasks were examined, those being the replacement of engine Constant Speed Drive (CSD) units and engine access doors. The two repetitive tasks analyzed were the inspections of both cockpits and engine compressor blades. All tasks analyzed with the REBA scored within its two highest risk categories, and the weight of the CSD exceeded that recommended by the WAC by over 30lbs. Mechanics who perform these tasks should be aided by using mechanized jacks to lift heavy objects, while aspects of the repetitive tasks should be automated reduce their cumulative strain