Practice Test Geeks(CPE) Certified Professional Ergonomist Practice Test
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Ergonomics Assessment & Analysis Flashcards

7 cards from real CPE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. A worker reports numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers that worsens at night. The ergonomist should suspect which work-related musculoskeletal disorder?

    Answer: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)

    Nocturnal paresthesias in the median nerve distribution (thumb, index, middle fingers) are classic symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

  2. Which assessment technique is MOST useful for identifying cognitive bottlenecks and information overload in complex process control tasks?

    Answer: NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX)

    NASA-TLX is a multidimensional subjective workload rating scale measuring mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration.

  3. During a job hazard analysis (JHA), the ergonomist finds that 30% of the shift is spent with the shoulder abducted greater than 90°. Which ergonomic control would MOST directly reduce this exposure?

    Answer: Lowering the work surface height to bring the task within the power zone

    Adjusting work surface height brings the task into the shoulder's optimal working zone (elbow to mid-chest), reducing overhead reach and shoulder abduction.

  4. The concept of 'action limit' versus 'maximum permissible limit' was central to which early ergonomic assessment guideline?

    Answer: 1981 NIOSH Work Practices Guide for Manual Lifting

    The 1981 NIOSH Work Practices Guide established Action Limits (AL) and Maximum Permissible Limits (MPL) as two-tier risk thresholds for manual lifting tasks.

  5. In an ergonomic assessment, what does an Activity Index (AI) greater than 5 on the Strain Index indicate?

    Answer: The job is associated with increased risk of hand/wrist musculoskeletal disorder

    A Strain Index score greater than 5 classifies the job as hazardous for distal upper extremity disorders based on Moore and Garg's original validation research.

  6. Which method for assessing whole-body vibration exposure produces an 8-hour energy equivalent acceleration value (A(8))?

    Answer: ISO 2631-1 frequency-weighted RMS acceleration averaged over the exposure duration

    ISO 2631-1 specifies frequency-weighted RMS acceleration measurements that are time-normalized to an 8-hour reference period to calculate A(8).

  7. An ergonomist observes that two analysts using the same RULA assessment of the same job produced scores of 3 and 6 respectively. This discrepancy most likely reflects a problem with:

    Answer: Inter-rater reliability of the assessment

    Large score differences between observers using the same standardized tool indicate poor inter-rater reliability, typically caused by insufficient training or ambiguous posture definitions.