The influence of job rotation on wrist position sense: a preliminary study among assembly workers in a real-life occupational setting

Abstract

The effectiveness of job rotation in industrial environment is still controversial, namely during tasks with high functional similarity, as assembly tasks. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of job rotation on wrist position sense acuity among experienced assembly workers. Eight healthy assembly workers divided in two groups (four assembly workers performed task rotation and four assembly workers performed tasks with no rotation) participated in this field study. Manifestations of muscle fatigue of wrist flexors and extensors muscles were obtained by surface electromyography during a standardized test contraction, while wrist position sense errors were assessed by electrogoniometry. After a workweek, despite not statistically significant, wrist flexors muscles in the no rotation group showed EMG signs of fatigue. The two groups showed a trend to increase position error for flexion after a workweek. Future research should include a higher number of participants and other techniques to evaluate muscle fatigue and their impact on positon sense acuity.