Comparison of measurement methods for quantifying hand force

• Published in: Ergonomics 2005-06, Vol.48 (8), p.983-1007
• Main Authors: Koppelaar, Elin, Wells, Richard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Biomechanical Phenomena; Direct measurement; Electromyography; Ergonomics; Female; Force matching; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hand - physiology; Hand force; Hands; Humans; Male; Manual workers; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Observation method; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Perception; Perception of effort; Rating scale; Reproducibility of Results; Research methodology; Risk Assessment; Self-report; Striated muscle. Tendons; Task Performance and Analysis; Vertebrates: osteoarticular system, musculoskeletal system; Weights & measures; Workplace
• ISSN: 0014-0139; 1366-5847
• DOI: 10.1080/00140130500120841

Hand force is a known risk factor for upper extremity disorders. The objective of the present study was to determine the characteristics of, and the relationships between, exposure assessment methods to quantify hand force. Five methods, used in the laboratory or the field, were used to quantify hand force at three force magnitudes: two direct (or technical) measurement methods, force transducers and electromyography; an observational method; and two self-report approaches, force matching and a visual analogue scale. Five tasks, simulating manual work activities, were performed by 20 participants. The coefficients of variation of measures within and between participants were moderate. All approaches clearly distinguished between the three force levels tested. The reliability of the methods ranged from poor (observation method without information) to good (force transducers method and observation method with information). The measurement methods correlated moderately over all five tasks. Predictions of grip force across all five tasks were poor and even for single tasks the predictions were not much better. The tasks in this study were still simplified; in the field tasks are even more complex and the measurement characteristics might be expected to be less good. A hand force exposure assessment method should therefore be calibrated and tested for each type of hand activity before use.