Inter-Rater and Intra-Rater Reliability of Return-to-Work Screening Tests for UK Firefighters Following Injury

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of a return-to-work (RTW) screening test to be used on UK firefighters following injury. The inter rater and intra-rater reliability of eight tasks involved in a screening test was used to assess readiness to RTW for UK firefighters following injury. These tasks included the following: (1) putting on and removing a breathing apparatus set (BA), (2) a ladder lift simulation, (3) a ladder carry simulation, (4) a light portable pump (LPP) lift and carry simulation, (5) a hose run, (6) a ladder climb with leg lock, (7) a casualty evacuation and (8) a confined space crawl simulation. The inter-rater reliability between each individual screening task was interpreted as Excellent (ICC = 0.94–1.00) for eleven (68.75%) of the screening task videos and as Good (ICC = 0.75–0.88) for five (31.25%) of the screening task videos. Intra-rater reliability was interpreted as Excellent (ICC = 1) for twenty-six participants (74.3%), Good (ICC = 0.76–0.88) for eight participants (22.9%) and Moderate for one participant (2.8%). Due to the reliability of this screening test, it allows conclusions to be made from the results which can inform a RTW decision for a firefighter.