An Evaluation of Two Methods for the Injury Risk Assessment of Lifting Jobs

This paper compares two methods of evaluating the risk potential of manual materials handling jobs. This comparison is based upon two large field studies. A total of 101 different lifting jobs were analyzed using each of the two methods. Injury profiles, representing a total of over one million hours of worker exposure, were also compiled. The results indicate that the two methods tend to agree in their risk assessment of most jobs. The results also indicate that the assessments tend to be correct when compared to observed injury statistics. There are, however, certain differences between the two methods. These and other points are also discussed.

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A Job Severity Index for the Evaluation and Control of Lifting Injury

Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ◽

10.1177/001872088402600608 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 683-693 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

D. H. Liles ◽

S. Deivanayagam ◽

M. M. Ayoub ◽

P. Mahajan

Keyword(s):

Severity Index ◽

Field Studies ◽

Large Field ◽

Manual Lifting ◽

Materials Handling ◽

Manual Materials Handling ◽

And Control

Two large field studies were conducted to test the validity of the Job Severity Index (JSI) as an engineering tool for the control of manual materials-handling injury. Comparisons were made between the calculated JSIs of 453 individuals working in 101 different jobs and the injuries sustained by the same individuals over a period of 1057881 exposure hours (529 exposure years). The results revealed the existence of a job severity threshold above which the incidence, severity, and cost of injury dramatically increased. It was concluded that the JSI method can effectively be used to control injuries caused by the manual lifting of loads.

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Pre-Exertion Perceptions of Musculoskeletal Overexertion Injury Risk: An Assessment of Age, Gender, Anthropometric, and Lifting Task Factors

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120705100111 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 50-54

Author(s):

Steven F. Wiker ◽

Viviana Baggio

Keyword(s):

Perceived Risk ◽

Injury Risk ◽

Material Handling ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Materials Handling ◽

Manual Material Handling ◽

Manual Materials Handling ◽

History Of ◽

Lifting Task ◽

Or History

Manual materials handling safety training programs typically encourage workers to make judgments regarding manual material handling risk prior to making attempts to perform the task. The objectives of this effort were to determine if: a) perceptions of MMH tasks are consistent with consensus-based lifting hazards, and b) judgments are materially affected by observer age and or gender. Photographs of orthogonally varied levels of horizontal and vertical origin and final position of a 20 Kg box lift at 0.2, 2 and 5 lifts per minute were presented to 50 males and 50 females who were distributed among age decades between 20 and 70 years. Subjects were asked to rate their perceived risk of musculoskeletal injury using magnitude estimation methods. Results showed that subjects, regardless of age, were unable to spatially perceive consensus-based biomechanical indexes of musculoskeletal hazard; this finding held regardless of age group, gender, stature, body mass, prior safe lifting practices training, or history of low back injury.

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Systematic review of Kinect-based solutions for physical risk assessment in manual materials handling in industrial and laboratory environments

Computers & Industrial Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.cie.2021.107660 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107660

Author(s):

Alexander Lunin ◽

Christoph H. Glock

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Materials Handling ◽

Manual Materials Handling ◽

Physical Risk

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Survey of One-handed Lifting in Manufacturing Industry: A Cross-sectional Study of the BackWorks Study Cohort

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181320641225 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 942-946

Author(s):

Ruoliang Tang ◽

Jay M. Kapellusch ◽

Andrew S. Merryweather ◽

Matthew S. Thiese ◽

Kurt T. Hegmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Manufacturing Industry ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Study Cohort ◽

The European Union ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Materials Handling ◽

Manual Materials Handling ◽

Lost Productivity ◽

The One

Low back pain (LBP) is a common health problem and a major cause of lost productivity in workplaces. Manual materials handling (MMH) jobs have traditionally been regarded as risk factor for LBP. Compared to two-handed lifting, one-handed lifting has received little attention in both epidemiological and biomechanical research. In addition, one frequent complaint of the revised NIOSH lifting equation (RNLE) has been the lack of capability to directly evaluate one-handed lifting. Modifications have been proposed by the European Union, however their efficacy and influence have not yet been evaluated. This cross-sectional study provided objective survey of the MMH jobs, especially the one-handed lifting performed in manufacturing industry and investigated the outcomes of three proposed methods to address one-handed lifting using RNLE approach. Preliminary results suggest that workers with some one-handed lifting are associated with higher physical exposure. However, the increase was more significant among those who perform primarily one-handed lifting.

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Trunk Posture during Manual Materials Handling of Beer Kegs

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147380 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7380

Author(s):

Colleen Brents ◽

Molly Hischke ◽

Raoul Reiser ◽

John Rosecrance

Keyword(s):

Small Businesses ◽

Inertial Measurement Unit ◽

Measurement Unit ◽

Low Back ◽

Inertial Measurement ◽

Materials Handling ◽

Kinematic Measurement ◽

Manual Materials Handling ◽

Trunk Posture ◽

Data Design

Craft brewing is a rapidly growing industry in the U.S. Most craft breweries are small businesses with few resources for robotic or other mechanical-assisted equipment, requiring work to be performed manually by employees. Craft brewery workers frequently handle stainless steel half-barrel kegs, which weigh between 13.5 kg (29.7 lbs.) empty and 72.8 kg (161.5 lbs.) full. Moving kegs may be associated with low back pain and even injury. In the present study, researchers performed a quantitative assessment of trunk postures using an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based kinematic measurement system while workers lifted kegs at a craft brewery. Results of this field-based study indicated that during keg handling, craft brewery workers exhibited awkward and non-neutral trunk postures. Based on the results of the posture data, design recommendations were identified to reduce the hazardous exposure for musculoskeletal disorders among craft brewery workers.

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