Commonly Used Subjective Effort Scales May Not Predict Directly Measured Physical Workloads and Fatigue in Hispanic Farmworkers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Galvin K ; Johnson PW ; Palmandez P ; Thamsuwan O
• Description:
  In North America, Hispanic migrant farmworkers are being exposed to occupational ergonomic risks. Due to cultural differences in the perception and reporting of effort and pain, it was unknown whether standardized subjective ergonomic assessment tools could accurately estimate the directly measured their physical effort. This study investigated whether the subjective scales widely used in exercise physiology were associated with the direct measures of metabolic load and muscle fatigue in this population. Twenty-four migrant apple harvesters participated in this study. The Borg RPE in Spanish and the Omni RPE with pictures of tree-fruit harvesters were used for assessing overall effort at four time points during a full-day 8-h work shift. The Borg CR10 was used for assessing local discomfort at the shoulders. To determine whether there were associations between the subjective and direct measures of overall exertion measures, we conducted linear regressions of the percentage of heart rate reserve (% HRR) on the Borg RPE and Omni RPE. In terms of local discomfort, the median power frequency (MPF) of trapezius electromyography (EMG) was used for representing muscle fatigue. Then full-day measurements of muscle fatigue were regressed on the Borg CR10 changes from the beginning to the end of the work shift. The Omni RPE were found to be correlated with the % HRR. In addition, the Borg RPE were correlated to the % HRR after the break but not after the work. These scales might be useful for certain situations. In terms of local discomfort, the Borg CR10 were not correlated with the MPF of EMG and, therefore, could not replace direct measurement. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Cardiovascular System Emigration And Immigration Energy Metabolism Ergonomics Farmers Fatigue Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Correlation Borg Electromyography Farm Workers Heart Rate Metabolic Effects Metabolic Load Migrant Workers Muscle Fatigue Muscles Percent Of Heart Rate Reserve Physical Exercise

  More +
• ISSN:
  1471-2458
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067006
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023 Feb; 20(4):2809
• Contact Point Address:
  Ornwipa Thamsuwan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure, Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada
• Email:
  ornwipa.thamsuwan@etsmtl.ca
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a64c5efdad90439d638cc242584083acab3fd16f81a33f3ffe19b05021adec4d6723b1c01ed6a3d9c5b501949f4337a74ff20a8e9b0825b4b3e18ec919f2969e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231244/cdc_231244_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.82 MB ]