HARBO
Hand and Arm Risk for Business Operators
Overview
HARBO is a practical ergonomic screening tool — designed to assess the risk of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders associated with hand and arm intensive work in small and medium -sized enterprises. The tool evaluates four key risk factors — repetition, force, awkward posture of the hand and arm, and static load — across the specific tasks performed by the worker, producing a colour -coded risk classification that guides prioritisation of ergonomic interventions. HARBO is particularly valued for its simplicity and accessibility — it can be applied by n on-specialist health and safety personnel without extensive ergonomics training — making it a practical first-pass screening tool for organisations that do not have dedicated ergonomics resources.