Abstract
The main objective of this research project was to compare the recommended load limits for lifting tasks derived based on the NIOSH (1981) Lifting Guide and the proposed NIOSH Draft Revisions of (1991). The study involved the following steps: 1) Identification of a total of 15 manual lifting tasks from 8 different jobs performed at the industrial site, with different tasks characteristics in order to cover most of the possible lifting conditions considered under the Draft Revisions to the NIOSH Guide (1991), 2) Description of the lifting tasks variables for the identified jobs, 3) Calculation of the RWL values for the identified jobs per 1991 Lifting Guide, as well as the AL and MPL values according the 1981 Lifting Guide, 4) Comparison of the actual loads lifted (L) with the values of RWL, AL and MPL, and calculation. The results showed that the Draft Guide of 1991 was much more restrictive with respect to defining the lifting acceptable jobs. Under this Guide, 10 out of 15 tasks analyzed in this study (66.7%) were found unacceptable, and required redesigning. For comparison, under the NIOSH (1981) Guide, as many as 8 of 15 (53.3%) of the tasks were found fully acceptable (below the action limit or AL level), while 6 tasks (40%) required application of administrative controls, and only 1 of the 15 tasks analyzed (6.7%) was found unacceptable.
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