Validation Of A Newly Developed Tool For Ergonomic Exposure Assessment In An Unstructured And Unregulated Work Environment
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Date
2022-06
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University Of Ghana
Abstract
Background: Most existing ergonomic assessment tools have been designed for routine and structured work making their use in informal work setting challenging due to the high variability in work structure that exists in unstructured/informal work. A novel observation based ergonomic assessment tool which is simple to use and accounts for the high variability in tasks performed by workers was developed by Acquah and colleagues in 2020 to address the challenge of ergonomic assessment in informal work setting. The tool, however, needs detailed validation to determine its applicability and appropriateness in comparison with existing tools for the evaluation of ergonomic exposures in informal work setting.
Aim: To determine the validity and reliability of a newly developed observation-based tool for quantifying ergonomic exposures in unregulated work setting such as informal e-waste recycling.
Method: The face validity, construct validity, criterion validity, as well as the intra and inter observer reliability of the new tool were assessed. Face validity was evaluated by administering a face validity questionnaire to three experts and the results analysed using Cohen kappa statistics. Construct validity was determined by reviewing literature and documenting references of studies that influenced the theoretical concepts and inclusion of the various assessment domains presented in the newly developed ergonomic assessment tool. The new tool was then compared with existing ergonomic assessment tools such as Rapid Entire Body Assessment tool, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment tool, Ovako Working Posture Analysis System, and Quick Exposure Checklist to determine the criterion validity of the new tool. Inter and Intra observer reliability were determined using archived video data of e-waste recycling
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activities. Research assistants were trained on the use of the newly developed ergonomic assessment tool after which they used the new tool to assess ergonomic exposures of e-waste workers for an entire day’s shift. Inter observer agreement was determined by comparing observations of three observers who assessed ergonomic exposures of the same e-waste worker at the same time. Intra observer agreement was determined by comparing the observations of an e-waste worker conducted by the same assessor 5 days apart. Cohen Kappa’s statistics was used to determine inter and intra observer agreement.
Results: The results showed that the newly developed ergonomic assessment tool had a good face validity (0.718, p<0.035). The development of the tool was also based on a thorough review of the existing literature and was influenced by sound theoretical concepts in literature. Inter observer agreement among users of the tool was high except assessment of upper limb posture for burners (k=0.427). Intra observer agreement was high for assessment of all variables. Comparison of the tool with other ergonomic assessment tools showed varied overall results mainly due to the fact that existing ergonomic assessment tools provided an assessment of a snapshot of the workers task compared to the new tool which assessed an entire day’s shift. Thus, the new tool provides a more detailed and less biased estimate of the overall exposure of the worker.
Conclusion: The newly developed ergonomic assessment tool is valid and reliable for assessing ergonomic exposures in unregulated work setting and tends to provide a more detailed assessment of ergonomic exposures while accounting for the variability that exists in tasks assessed.
Description
MSc. Occupational Hygiene
Keywords
Ergonomic, Work Environment, Unstructured, Unregulated