Title
Modified PATH methodology for obtaining interval-scaled postural assessments of farmworkers
Publication Date
2018
Journal Title
J Agric Saf Health
Abstract
© 2018 ASABE. Agricultural workers perform tasks that frequently require awkward and extreme postures that are associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The PATH (Posture, Activity, Tools, Handling) system currently provides a sound methodology for quantifying workers' exposure to these awkward postures on an ordinal scale of measurement, which places restrictions on the choice of analytic methods. This study reports a modification of the PATH methodology that instead captures these postures as degrees of flexion, an interval-scaled measurement. Rather than making live observations in the field, as in PATH, the postural assessments were performed on photographs using ImageJ photo analysis software. Capturing the postures in photographs permitted more careful measurement of the degrees of flexion. The current PATH methodology requires that the observer in the field be trained in the use of PATH, whereas the single photographer used in this modification requires only sufficient training to maintain the proper camera angle. Ultimately, these interval-scale measurements could be combined with other quantitative measures, such as those produced by electromyograms (EMGs), to provide more sophisticated estimates of future risk for MSDs. Further, these data can provide a baseline from which the effects of interventions designed to reduce hazardous postures can be calculated with greater precision.
Volume Number
24
Issue Number
1
Pages
43 - 52
Document Type
Article
Status
Faculty
Facility
School of Medicine
Primary Department
Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention
PMID
DOI
10.13031/jash.12453
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