Observational Analysis of the Hand and Wrist: A Pilot Study

Abstract

A system for quantitative analysis of risk factors associated with cumulative trauma disorders of the hand and wrist was developed and tested in a pilot study. To use the system, analysts observed the worker and counted the total number of hand exertions per work cycle and the number of exertions associated with specific risk factors such as high force or adverse postures. Pilot study analyses were performed both at the job site and from videotapes of the jobs.

Analyses of hand posture performed at the job site provided more accurate data than did analyses performed from videotapes. Compared to analysis methods that utilize frame-by-frame review of videotape or film, the proposed system required considerably less time. Agreement among analysts was strong. The system may be used for quantitative descriptions of ergonomic risk factors on hand-intensive jobs, pre- and postintervention comparisons of engineering and administrative controls, and exposure classification in epidemiologic studies of work-related, soft tissue disorders of the hand and wrist.