Key indicator method

The key indicator method – Leitmerkmalmethode in German, KIM for short – is a procedure for assessing physical workload at a workstation in a short time and without measuring equipment. It was developed by the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). It records the few characteristics that essentially determine the workload – the key indicators –, assigns ratings to them and condenses them into one number.

It is intended for practitioners in companies: safety officers, occupational physicians, planners. The institute provides the worksheets free of charge, including English versions.

Since 2019 there have been six coordinated key indicator methods. For handling tasks the first two matter most; in assembly the third is often added.

If a job consists of several sub-activities, each is assessed with the appropriate method.

For lifting, holding and carrying, several key indicators are rated: the effective load weight – separately for men and women –, the load handling conditions, body posture, unfavourable working conditions, and work organisation and temporal distribution. The ratings of these indicators are added and multiplied by the time rating, which follows from the frequency of operations per working day.

Because the time rating enters as a factor, frequency acts on the whole result. That is why many light movements can produce a higher score than a few heavy ones.

The score is assigned to one of four risk ranges. In the 2019 version the boundaries are at 20, 50 and 100 points. Below 20 points the workload is regarded as low. From 20 to under 50 it is slightly increased; physical overload is possible for less resilient persons. From 50 to under 100 it is substantially increased and workplace redesign should be considered. From 100 points it is high and measures are necessary.

The boundaries are not sharp thresholds. A score just under 50 is no licence, and complaints from employees weigh more heavily than any score.

The method is simple, but it requires observation at the workstation.