Comparison of three methods for evaluation of work postures in a truck assembly plant

Abstract

This study compared the results of three risk assessment tools (self-reported questionnaire, observational tool, direct measurement method) for the upper limbs and back in a truck assembly plant at two cycle times (11 and 8 min). The weighted Kappa factor showed fair agreement between the observational and direct measurement method for the arm (0.39) and back (0.47). The weighted Kappa factor for these methods was poor for the neck (0) and wrist (0) but the observed proportional agreement (P) was 0.78 for the neck and 0.83 for the wrist. The weighted Kappa factor between questionnaire and direct measurement showed poor or slight agreement (0) for different body segments in both cycle times. The results revealed moderate agreement between the observational tool and the direct measurement method, and poor agreement between the self-reported questionnaire and direct measurement. Practitioner Summary: This study provides risk exposure measurement by different common ergonomic methods in the field. The results help to develop valid measurements and improve exposure evaluation. Hence, the ergonomist/practitioners should apply the methods with caution, or at least knowing what the issues/errors are.

Lifetime Duration of Exposure to Biomechanical Factors at Work as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Socioeconomic Position and Walking Speed

“…Among limitations, different studies have shown that selfreported exposure to ergonomic factors in the workplace has only moderate reproducibility and validity for most physical exposures (54)(55)(56), which is expected to decrease further for exposures occurred in a distant past, with the consequence of a non-differential misclassification of the exposure and an underestimation of the association with health outcomes. This potential bias has likely reduced the association between exposure to ergonomic factors and low walking speed in our study, with the consequences of an underestimation of the proportion of the excess risk mediated by these factors.…”

Inter-Rater Reliability of Ergonomic Work Demands for Childcare Workers Using the Observation Instrument TRACK

“…Observational instruments have been developed and applied to identify and quantify ergonomic work exposures or risk factors, with metrics including e.g., postures, body segments, risk levels, perceived exertion or discomfort, job profiles and load etc., through direct observational methods, self-reporting, or direct objective measurement methods-or a combination of these [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Direct objective measurements are often favoured over observation and self-report [18] as self-report is known to be imprecise and potentially biased [19][20][21][22].…”

Contribution of situational operational leeway for ergonomic assessment in the evaluation of work situations

“…Previous studies have criticized the reliability and repeatability of simple tools (Barrero, Katz, and Dennerlein 2009;Chiasson et al 2012;Zare et al 2017). The results of these tools have been often questioned because of inter and intra-individual variability, the variations of the technical-organizational system (e.g., unexpected mishaps/incidents arising from machines and materials), and the diversification of products (Badets, Merlo, and Pilniere 2017;Koukoulaki 2014;Mathiassen 2006; Sagot, and Roquelaure 2018).…”