We compared hand activity and force ratings in women and men doing identical hand-intensive work tasks. Musculoskeletal disorders are more common in women and hand-intensive work leads to an increased risk of these disorders. Knowledge of the gender influence in the rating of work exposure is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate whether women and men performing identical hand-intensive work tasks were equally rated using hand activity and normalized peak force levels with the Hand Activity Threshold Limit Value®. Fifty-six workers participated, comprising 28 women-men pairs. Four observers-two woman-man pairs-were also involved. Self-ratings and observers' ratings of hand activity and force level were collected. The results of these ratings showed no significant gender differences in self-rated hand activity and force, as well as observer-rated hand activity. However, there was a significant gender difference in the observer-rated force, where the women were rated higher (mean (SD): women 3.9 (2.7), men 3.1 (1.8) (p = 0.01)). This difference remained significant in the adjusted model (p = 0.04) with grip strength and forearm-finger anthropometrics. The results provide new insights that observers' estimates of force can be higher in women compared with men in the same work tasks. Force should be further investigated and preferably compared to objective measurements.
Keywords: cumulative trauma disorders; equity; ergonomic assessment; exposure assessment; gender differences; observation; psychophysics; repetitive strain injury; upper extremity; workload.