Development of an ergonomic risk assessment tool for work postures
The most widely used method for assessing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) is still the observational method, mainly because it is inexpensive and practical for use in a wide range of workplaces. However, there are no tools available that cover the wide range of physical risk fac...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/1271/1/24p%20MOHD%20NASRUL%20ABDOL%20RAHMAN.pdf |
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| Summary: | The most widely used method for assessing work-related musculoskeletal
disorders (WMSDs) is still the observational method, mainly because it is
inexpensive and practical for use in a wide range of workplaces. However, there are
no tools available that cover the wide range of physical risk factors at workplaces.
Most of the existing observational methods have not been extensively tested for their
reliability and validity during the development process. Therefore, the main
objectives of this study are to (1) to develop a new observational technique called the
Workplace Ergonomic Risk Assessment (WERA) method and (2) to determine the
reliability and validity of the WERA method. The study was conducted in two
phases: development of the WERA paper checklist from scientific evidence and
literature review (Phase 1) and development of the WERA software program using
Visual Basic programming (Phase 2). In the validity trials, the relationship of the
main WERA body part scores to the development of pain or discomfort was
statistically significant for the wrist, shoulder, and back regions. This shows that the
WERA assessment provided a good indication of work related musculoskeletal
disorders which may be reported as pains, aches or discomfort in the relevant body
area. In the reliability trials, the results of inter-observer reliability demonstrated
moderate agreement among the observers (K=0.41) from the feedback survey about
the usability of WERA tool. On the other hand, all participants were agreed that the
WERA tool was easy and quick to use, applicable to workplace assessment for the
wide range of tasks, and valuable at work. The WERA tool has been developed for
both paper checklist and software program use. It can be used to identify the physical
risk factors associated with WMSDs at workplaces. |
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