Inter-rater reliability of cyclic and non-cyclic task assessment using the hand activity level in appliance manufacturing

Robert Paulsen; Natalie Schwatka; Jennifer Gober; David Gilkey; Dan Anton; Fred Gerr; John Rosecrance

doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2013.10.001

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Inter-rater reliability of cyclic and non-cyclic task assessment using the hand activity level in appliance manufacturing

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Inter-rater reliability of cyclic and non-cyclic task assessment using the hand activity level in appliance manufacturing

Robert Paulsen, Natalie Schwatka, Jennifer Gober, David Gilkey, Dan Anton, Fred Gerr and John Rosecrance

International journal of industrial ergonomics, Vol.44(1), pp.32-38

01/2014

DOI: 10.1016/j.ergon.2013.10.001

PMCID: PMC4480210

PMID: 26120222

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/4480210View

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Abstract

This study evaluated the inter-rater reliability of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) hand activity level (HAL), an observational ergonomic assessment method used to estimate physical exposure to repetitive exertions during task performance. Video recordings of 858 cyclic and non-cyclic appliance manufacturing tasks were assessed by sixteen pairs of raters using the HAL visual-analog scale. A weighted Pearson Product Moment-Correlation Coefficient was used to evaluate the agreement between the HAL scores recorded by each rater pair, and the mean weighted correlation coefficients for cyclic and non-cyclic tasks were calculated. Results indicated that the HAL is a reliable exposure assessment method for cyclic (r¯-barw = 0.69) and non-cyclic work tasks (r¯-barw = 0.68). When the two reliability scores were compared using a two-sample Student's t-test, no significant difference in reliability (p = 0.63) between these work task categories was found. This study demonstrated that the HAL may be a useful measure of exposure to repetitive exertions during cyclic and non-cyclic tasks. Exposure to hazardous levels of repetitive action during non-cyclic task completion has traditionally been difficult to assess using simple observational techniques. The present study suggests that ergonomists could use the HAL to reliably and easily evaluate exposures associated with some non-cyclic work tasks. •The Hand Activity Level (HAL) was used to assess cyclic and non-cyclic tasks.•Inter-rater reliability was moderate to good for both cyclic and non-cyclic tasks.•No significant difference was detected between the two reliability estimates.•The HAL may be a reliable tool for both cyclic and non-cyclic manufacturing tasks.

Exposure assessment

HAL

Hand activity level

Non-cyclic work

Reliability

Repetitive exertions

Details

Title: Subtitle: Inter-rater reliability of cyclic and non-cyclic task assessment using the hand activity level in appliance manufacturing
Creators: Robert Paulsen - Colorado State University
Natalie Schwatka - Colorado State University
Jennifer Gober - Colorado State University
David Gilkey - Colorado State University
Dan Anton - University of Iowa
Fred Gerr - University of Iowa
John Rosecrance - Colorado State University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: International journal of industrial ergonomics, Vol.44(1), pp.32-38
DOI: 10.1016/j.ergon.2013.10.001
PMID: 26120222
PMCID: PMC4480210
NLM abbreviation: Int J Ind Ergon
ISSN: 0169-8141
eISSN: 1872-8219
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000125, name: National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), award: R01 OH007945; name: Center for Disease Control (CDC)/NIOSH Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center, award: T42OH009229-04
Language: English
Date published: 01/2014
Academic Unit: Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology
Record Identifier: 9984364450102771

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