Arm versus leg stressed differentiated ratings of perceived exertion.

Scott, P.A.; Olivier, S.; Manley, L.

Abstract

Although Borg's RPE scale is a universally accepted assessment of an individual's subjective rating of the physical demands of the task on hand, the differentiated scale does not appear to have been put to much practical use in working situations, particularly manual materials-handling tasks. The object of this project was to demonstrate the importance of differentiated RPE scores. A homogeneous sample of well-conditioned male marathon runners participated in two contrasting working conditions: in one, the emphasis was on the lower limbs (treadmill running), whereas the other was a predominately upper-limb activity (arm cranking ergometer). Subjects were required to work for 20 minutes with heart rate and differentiated RPE scores collected every 2 minutes. The same working heart rate was recorded in both sessions and yet there were significant increases in all RPE ratings in the arm cranking condition. It is evident that, although the cardiovascular output was similar in both conditions, the subjects perceived the unfamiliar arm cranking task to be more demanding. While recognising the value of the use of RPE scores in assessing the worker's perception of the demands of working tasks, the results of this study would strongly indicate the use of local, central and overall ratings of perceived demands in order to maximise the benefits of using RPE scores when acquiring the total perception of the work demands.

Citation

SCOTT, P.A., OLIVIER, S. and MANLEY, L. 1991. Arm versus leg stressed differentiated ratings of perceived exertion. Ergonomics SA, 3(1), pages 2-7.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 31, 1991
• Publication Date: Jan 31, 1991
• Deposit Date: Aug 16, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 16, 2022
• Journal: Ergonomics SA
• Print ISSN: 1010-2728
• Publisher: Ergonomics Society of South Africa
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 2-7
• Keywords: Physical exertion; Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE); Heart rate
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1579561