Evaluation of the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of a protocol for the measurement of foot-transmitted vibration

Foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) is an occupational hazard in construction, forestry and mining which places workers at risk of vibration-induced white-foot. A universally accepted measurement protocol (MP) for evaluating FTV exposure does not exist. As such, the purpose of this study was to determine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the selected FTV-MP using different research assistants (RA) to take the FTV measurements. Preliminary tests evaluating changes in measured FTV using different accelerometer mounting locations and orientations, participant standing postures, time of day of measurements and trial duration. The results of this testing, combined with results from literature using a laser Doppler vibrometer at 24 anatomical locations on the foot, developed an FTV-MP requiring the use of two accelerometers secured to the platform and two to the right foot (first metatarsal head and medial malleolus), to capture anatomical locations with the highest and lowest transmissibility. RA repeatedly attached the accelerometers to the platform and participants as previously described. Inter- and intra-rater reliability was assessed for all vibration measures using intraclass correlation (ICC) tests and three raters. ICCs revealed reliability coefficients in the range of 'good' reliability for 3 of the 4 measurement locations and moderate reliability at the ankle (r.m.s. acceleration).