Study on the Comparison of Major Evaluation Indicators for Musculoskeletal Disorders Based on Observational Research and Utilization for Assessment of the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service

Objective: We assessed the evaluation reliability of the most commonly used metrics in domestic musculoskeletal assessments, namely OWAS, RULA, and REBA. Our focus was on their ability to accurately measure localized task loads. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the suitability of the metric developed by the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service in 2014 for identifying risk factors in upcoming investigations into musculoskeletal disorders.BRBackground: Many previous studies had indicated low correlation coefficients (<0.5) among these metrics, suggesting varying evaluation outcomes. These studies made it difficult to draw a comprehensive decision on which method was better or more suitable for a situation.BRMethod: We conducted observational research at an air filter manufacturing factory, focusing on 32 specific unit tasks with high workloads. The evaluations of the metrics were conducted by three ergonomics experts with over 5 years of experience in risk factor investigations of MSDs and consulting. In this paper, assessments using OWAS, RULA, and REBA were performed for the 32 tasks. Additionally, according to the KLWC (Korea Local Workload Checklist) metric, workload scores for six body parts (neck, shoulder/upper arm, elbow/forearm, hand/wrist, waist/hip, knee/ankle) were recorded. Through this process, we conducted a comparative analysis of the correlation and reliability among each evaluation metric.BRResults: Inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa value) among OWAS, RULA, and REBA metrics for the 32 unit tasks was not high. This underscores the critical role of technique selection in identifying musculoskeletal disorders. An analysis of diagnostic ability for localized loads, based on 192 measurements from the 6 body part KLWC scores, revealed that all three metrics were insufficient in detecting cases with localized loads. Finally, the 2014 KLWC metric demonstrated significant potential for application in risk factor investigations related to musculoskeletal burden tasks.BRConclusion: It was identified that a more accurate and effective investigation should be conducted using the KLWC metric in the investigation of risk factors for the musculoskeletal disorders in Korea.BRApplication: The results of this paper can be utilized in decision-making for the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service and for improving work environments. They can also provide assistance in the selection and enhancement of evaluation metrics.