Development and Evaluation of an Observational Method for Quantifying Exposure to Hand Activity and Other Physical Stressors in Manual Work

Details

• Personal Author:
  Latko WA
• Description:
  An observational method was developed in which hand activity/repetition and other physical stressors associated with work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are rated on scales from 0-10. A series of evaluations was performed to determine the method's reliability, internal validity, and external validity. The ratings of repetition were moderately correlated with measures of number of exertions per unit time and the amount of recovery time within the job cycle. Cycle time was not related to the analyst ratings. An analysis of test-retest reliability over a 1 1/2 to 2 year time period revealed a high level of consistency. Twelve jobs were analyzed by four groups of raters to determine inter-rater reliability. There was more variability in the initial ratings (between individuals) than in the final ratings (between groups). Repetition exhibited very strong agreement between raters. A laboratory study was conducted to assess the internal validity of the method. Instrumental measurements of muscle activity and wrist position were compared with ratings of equivalent parameters. When repetition rating was modeled as a function of movement speed and exertion time, both terms were significant and the model explained 88% of the variability in the repetition ratings. For both posture and force, there were significant relationships between the measures obtained from the instrumentation and the ratings $rm(0.28
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Cumulative Trauma Disorders Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cumulative Trauma Cumulative Trauma Disorders Hand Injuries Musculoskeletal System Musculoskeletal System Disorders Repetitive Work Skeletal Movement Work Analysis Work Intervals Workplace Studies Work Practices

  More +
• Publisher:
  University of Michigan
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Dissertation
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-188
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20024527
• Citation:
  Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 1997 Jan; :1-188
• Contact Point Address:
  Environmental & Indust Health the University of Michigan 1420 Washington Heights Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• NORA Priority Area:
  Grants Other
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19920901
• Source Full Name:
  Development and evaluation of an observational method for quantifying exposure to hand activity and other physical stressors in manual work.
• End Date:
  19960430
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:95fa53fbd37cb65a03ab40936cdef29192347aeb76dcbae06f480a1808034021cc502126ff7f7c39595fbe5dc1f9755323eaebb8126c5cb7fda0060bc95ed2fb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196294/cdc_196294_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 27.19 MB ]