Simplified design criteria are provided for two-handed, manual lifting by standing men and women, without selective assignment of personnel to specific material handling tasks. Based on a 1981 NIOSH report, application of these criteria requires no knowledge of human anatomy, anthropometry, biomechanics, psychophysics, muscle fatigue, cardiovascular capacity, or metabolic endurance. A person who can read and use simple graphs can quickly determine the maximum weight of a lifted object. The information needed is the horizontal grasp distance and the initial grasp height and lift distance of the object, plus the frequency and duration of lifting.
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References
1.
ACGIH.Threshold Limit Values for Physical Agents, Adapted by ACGIH for 1980, p. 58.
2.
MIL-STD-1472B, Human Engineering Guide for Military Systems, Equipment and Facilities, 31 Dec, 1974, pp. 108, 109.
3.
NIOSH Technical Report, Work Practices Guide for Manual Lifting, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 81–122, GPO, March 1981.
