Inter-Rater Reliability of the New Observational Method for Assessing an Exposure to Risk Factors Related to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDS)

Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: mnasrull@uthm.edu.my

Abstract

The Entire Body Risk Assessment (ENBORA) method is a new observational method used to evaluate risk factors linked to Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). Hence, this study aims to verify the inter-rater reliability of the ENBORA method. 16 raters were involved in a one day ENBORA training session. All of the participants needed to assess three different tasks using the ENBORA paper checklist. The tasks involved were; lifting from pallet to conveyor for Task A, creels of wire onto spindles for Task B, and bottling line inspection for Task C. The Cohen’s Kappa (K) coefficient and percentage of agreement were calculated. As a result, the inter-rater reliability for Task A has a Cohen’s Kappa value (K) of 0.88, while Task B and Task C achieved K=0.91 which indicated very good agreement. This study found that trained practitioners can reliably use the ENBORA method to assess exposure to risk factors related to WMSDs.