Task selection for increased mechanical exposure variation: relevance to job rotation

It is generally considered that variation in mechanical exposure is beneficial from the viewpoint of preventing musculoskeletal disorders. An approach to quantifying the functional similarity of manual tasks was developed and tested by using three handgrips: power grip (PG); pulp pinch (PP); lateral pinch (LP). Changes in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) forces were measured during 15 combinations of 2-min duration, 30% MVC isometric contraction in 25 participants. Strength changes in PG were found to be substantially different from LP; when the two grips were alternated, strength dropped to 85.1% MVC whereas after PG alone, strength dropped to 59.3% MVC. The findings suggest that PG and LP are functionally different enough for their alternating use to contribute to increased exposure variation during manual activities. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The paper describes how to determine if two tasks, when performed alternately, are different enough to reduce fatigue, increase work capacity and potentially prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Better understanding of the differences between tasks has the potential to improve job design by allowing better choice of tasks that combine to define a job.