Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA)
This article is currently under review and may not be up to date. Please come back soon to see the finished work! (14/11/2026)
Original Editor - Ashmita Patrao Top Contributors - Ashmita Patrao, Uchechukwu Chukwuemeka and Vidya Acharya
Introduction
The Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) is a checklist-based technique for determining how well a user-friendly computer workstation fits.[1] The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z412 Guideline on Office Ergonomics provided the postures for the instrument, which was released in 2012 by Sonne, Villalta, and Andrews.[1] A worker is observed, the chair, monitor, phone, keyboard, and mouse are all scored, and the results are combined into a final score. For work-related musculoskeletal discomfort, a score of 5 or above is suggested as the point at which action is required. The scale goes from 1 (lowest risk) to 10 (highest risk).[1]
ROSA can be used by rehabilitation specialists to screen a workstation, choose which modifications should be made first, and determine whether those modifications reduced the risk. ROSA was created specifically for office computer work, unlike other observational tools like the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA).[2]
Purpose
ROSA's goal is to quantify the ergonomic risk of a computer workstation and highlight the components of the setup that contribute most to that risk.[1] The final score represents the entire workstation because the scoring charts integrate the various portions.[1]The scoring charts combine the individual sections, so the final score reflects the whole workstation and not a single item.[3] To determine whether the score has decreased, the identical worksheet might be completed once more when the assessor switches workstations.[2]
Intended Population
ROSA is designed for individuals who work from home or in offices and spend a significant portion of their working day in front of a computer.[2] Tasks requiring lifting, whole-body movement, or working away from a computer are not appropriate for it.[4]
Its use is expanded by two modifications. Without the presence of an assessor, employees can score their own workstations using an online version.[3] It has been translated into Brazilian Portuguese and tested for use in that language and context.[5]
Method of Use
The assessor completes the ROSA worksheet after observing the employee in their typical seated position while they perform routine computer duties.[3] The chair, the monitor and phone, and the mouse and keyboard are all included in separate sections of the spreadsheet.[1] Every item starts with a baseline score, and each risk factor that is present adds points.[2]
Chair
The chair section has four items: seat pan height, seat pan depth, armrests and back support.
Seat pan height. The baseline posture has the knees at about 90 degrees.[1] The score rises if the knee angle is too small or too large, if the feet do not touch the floor, or if there is not enough space under the desk for the legs. A seat that cannot be adjusted adds a point.[1][2]
Seat pan depth. About 3 inches (roughly 7.5 cm) of space should remain between the back of the knee and the front of the seat when the person sits back in the chair.[1] A seat with less space than this is too long, and a seat with more space is too short.[1] Both score higher, and a seat that cannot be adjusted adds a point.[1][2]
Armrests. The baseline position supports the forearms with the shoulders relaxed.[1] Armrests that sit too high (shoulders shrugged) or too low (arms unsupported) raise the score, as do hard surfaces, armrests set too wide and armrests that cannot be adjusted.[1][2]
Back support. The backrest should support the lumbar curve, with a trunk to thigh angle of about 95 to 110 degrees.[1] The score rises when there is no lumbar support, when the person leans too far back or sits forward away from the backrest, when the work surface is too high, and when the backrest cannot be adjusted.[1][2]
Monitor and Telephone
Monitor. The monitor should be directly in front of the worker, at about arm's length (40 to 75 cm), with the top of the screen at eye level.[1] The score rises when the screen is too low (more than 30 degrees below eye level, which flexes the neck), too high (which extends the neck) or too far away.[2] Turning the neck more than 30 degrees to see the screen, glare on the screen, and documents used without a holder all add to the score.[1][2]
Telephone. The telephone should sit within 30 cm of the worker.[1] The score rises when the telephone is further away, when the handset is held between the neck and shoulder, and when no hands-free option is available.[1][2]
Mouse and Keyboard
Mouse. The mouse should be close to the body and on the same surface as the keyboard.[1] The score rises with long reaches to the mouse, a mouse placed on a different surface from the keyboard, a pinch grip and pressure points against the hand or wrist.[1][2]
Keyboard. The wrists should stay straight and the keyboard should sit at a comfortable height.[2] The score rises with awkward wrist postures, a keyboard that is too high and a keyboard on a platform that cannot be adjusted.[1][2]
Duration of Use
The section score is modified by the amount of time spent on each item.[2] The score is reduced by one point if an item is used for fewer than thirty minutes at a time or for less than an hour every day.[2] The score increases by one point if you use it for more than one hour at a time or for more than four hours every day. The score remains unchanged when these constraints are used.[1]
Administration
The ROSA worksheet and a clear view of the employee at their desk are required for the assessor.[2] Researchers utilises the paper checklist in workplace studies, taking pictures of employees at their stations before filling it out by hand.[6][7] The assessor should question how long the employee spends on each job, observe the worker's posture, and determine whether aspects of the chair and desk may be changed.[2] The original reliability study used trained observers, so assessors should practise with the worksheet before scoring real workstations.[1]
Two other approaches exist. Workers can complete the online version themselves, although their scores differed from those of trained observers in some sections.[3] Scoring from photographs has also been studied, which may help when the assessor cannot attend in person.[5]
Scoring
The assessor first calculates the chair score, the monitor and telephone score, and the mouse and keyboard score, applying the duration adjustment to each.[1] The monitor and telephone score is then combined with the mouse and keyboard score to give a peripherals score.[1] Finally, the chair score and the peripherals score are combined to give the final ROSA score from 1 to 10.[2]
| Stage | Components | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seat pan height and depth, with armrests and back support | Chair score, adjusted for duration |
| 2 | Monitor and telephone | Monitor and telephone score, adjusted for duration |
| 3 | Mouse and keyboard | Mouse and keyboard score, adjusted for duration |
| 4 | Stage 2 combined with stage 3 | Peripherals score |
| 5 | Stage 1 combined with stage 4 | Final ROSA score (1 to 10) |
In the original study, average discomfort rose as ROSA scores rose, with a significant difference between scores of 3 and 5.[1] The authors therefore proposed 5 as the action level, at which a full ergonomic assessment and changes to the workstation are advised.[1] The section with the highest score shows where to begin work station adjustment.[1]
Psychometric Properties
Reliability
In the original study, trained observers showed high reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.88 between observers and 0.91 for the same observer on repeated assessments.[1] The Brazilian Portuguese version was also tested for reliability, and its authors concluded that the results support its use in field assessments and research.[5]
Validity
The original study assessed 72 office workstations and found that ROSA final scores correlated significantly with total body discomfort (R = 0.384).[1] The Brazilian Portuguese version showed moderate correlations with other ergonomic instruments in about 70% of comparisons, and moderate accuracy for a final score of 6.[5]
A study of online self-assessment, with 55 participants, found that workers rated the mouse and keyboard section lower than trained observers did. Chair, monitor and telephone scores did not differ significantly between workers and observers, and they were correlated.[3] The authors called for further work to improve the accuracy of worker-reported scores.[3]
Responsiveness
A 2022 study of 60 office workers compared a group that received a workstation intervention with a control group that did not. It found that ROSA scores reflected the changes in risk factors after the intervention.[2] In the online self-assessment study, mean ROSA final scores fell from 3.9 to 3.5 over four weeks.[3] Further studies are needed, because the 2022 study was an early test of the tool for detecting intervention effects.[2]
Clinical Relevance
A physiotherapist can use ROSA at three points in practice. First, it can screen a workplace or home workstation for a person with neck, shoulder, upper limb or low back symptoms. Second, it can guide specific recommendations, such as raising the monitor, bringing the mouse closer to the keyboard, adjusting the armrests or providing a headset. Third, it can record change, because the assessor can score the same workstation again after the changes and compare the results.[2]
The final score describes exposure to risk and does not replace clinical assessment. A person with persistent or worsening symptoms needs a full musculoskeletal assessment as well as the workstation review. Equipment changes alone may not resolve symptoms, so advice on movement breaks, varied posture and physical activity should accompany them. See the related pages on ergonomics and low back pain for the wider evidence.
ROSA is quick to complete, needs little equipment and covers the peripherals that many general tools leave out.[2] It gives one number that is easy to share with workers and employers, and the section scores show where to act. Its limits are that it captures a single moment in time, depends on the assessor to judge postures, and is built around seated desktop workstations, so it fits less well with standing desks, shared desks and laptops used in changing locations. It also does not score force or muscle load, which RULA does include.[8]
RULA rates neck, trunk and upper limb posture, force and muscle use on a scale of 1 to 7, and it suits a wide range of tasks, including repetitive upper limb work.[8] ROSA has a narrower scope because it applies only to computer workstations, but it scores the chair, monitor and telephone that shape posture in that setting.[2]
Summary
ROSA gives a score from 1 to 10 for the ergonomic risk of a computer workstation, and a score of 5 or greater signals that a full assessment and changes are needed.[1] It has high observer reliability and has detected change after an ergonomic intervention.[1][2] Rehabilitation professionals can use it to screen, to direct workstation changes and to evaluate outcomes, alongside clinical assessment and advice on movement.
Resources
The original ROSA worksheet and the online ROSA tool are available from the authors of the tool.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 Sonne M, Villalta DL, Andrews DM. Development and evaluation of an office ergonomic risk checklist: ROSA, Rapid Office Strain Assessment. Appl Ergon. 2012;43(1):98-108.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 de Barros FC, Moriguchi CS, Chaves TC, Andrews DM, Sonne M, Sato TO. Usefulness of the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) tool in detecting differences before and after an ergonomics intervention. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022;23:526.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Sonne M, Andrews DM. The Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA): validity of online worker self-assessments and the relationship to worker discomfort. Occup Ergon. 2012;10(3):83-101.
- ↑ Moreira S, Criado MB, Santos PC, Ferreira MS, Gonçalves C, Machado J. Occupational Health: Physical Activity, Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Quality of Life in Computer Workers: A Narrative Review. Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(12):2457.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Rodrigues MS, Sonne M, Andrews DM, Tomazini LF, Sato TO, Chaves TC. Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA): cross-cultural validity, reliability and structural validity of the Brazilian-Portuguese version. Appl Ergon. 2019;75:143-54.
- ↑ Liebregts J, Sonne M, Potvin JR. Photograph-based ergonomic evaluations using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA). Appl Ergon. 2016;52:317-24.
- ↑ Matos M, Arezes PM. Ergonomic evaluation of office workplaces with Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA). Procedia Manuf. 2015;3:4689-94.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 McAtamney L, Corlett EN. RULA: a survey method for the investigation of work-related upper limb disorders. Appl Ergon.1993;24(2):91-9.