Perceived Exertion Scales: Toward Development of Improved Verbal Anchors

An experiment documented the choices of verbal anchors or word triggers by subjects observing five different videotaped work operations. Their surveyed numeric scalings and word selections were compiled to form a list of ten words which are recommended to describe amount or degree of work being performed. This study acknowledges that there is inherent risk in applying words to work measurement scales, but the list may be helpful as a guide to choosing appropriate words to indicate work content or for job descriptions.