Psychophysical rating of library employees' work tasks

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory research aimed to identify the perceived physical demands of library assistants' and attendants' work tasks. STUDY DESIGN: A fixed format survey was completed by 36 library assistants and attendants from suburban and university libraries. Surveys were distributed and completed within the participants' workplaces. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's r correlations were calculated using the SPSS data analysis program. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed a hierarchical distribution of library assistants' and attendants' work tasks according to perceived physical demands. Significant Pearson's r correlations between personal factors and perceived exertion during some work tasks, were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: The hierarchical distribution of tasks revealed by this research can be used as a guide by therapists in designing graded suitable duties programs for library assistants and attendants following work-related injuries. Further task analysis is required to identify the critical physical requirements of those tasks receiving higher ratings of perceived exertion.