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Many Korean workers are exposed to repetitive or prolonged poor working postures, which are closely related with pains or symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders. Poor working postures in Korea were reviewed and an observational method to assess the postural load was developed. A computer-based postural workload evaluation system based on a macro-postural classification scheme was developed. The macro-postural classification is based on the perceived discomforts for various joint motions. On the basis of the perceived discomfort, postural stress levels for the postures at each joint were also defined in a ratio scale to the standing neutral posture. A neural network approach was used to predict the whole-body postural stresses from the body joint motions. A computer-based postural stress evaluation system was designed to automate the procedure for analyzing postures and enhance the usability and practical applicability. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]