Manual Material

Handling

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Manual Handling
• Manual handling is an activity of transporting or supporting a load including lifting, pushing,
pulling, carrying, throwing, and moving objects by hand or bodily force.
• The cause of over a third of all workplace injuries along with work-related musculoskeletal
disorders (MSDs) and repetitive strain injuries are due to manual handling (HSE).

IMPROVE FIT
• Reducing or preventing injuries
• Reducing workers’ efforts by decreasing forces
• Reducing risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders
• Increasing productivity, product and service quality, and worker
morale
• Lowering costs by reducing or eliminating production bottlenecks,
error rates or rejects, use of medical services because of
musculoskeletal disorders, workers’ compensation claims,
excessive worker turnover, absenteeism, and retraining

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 4 Key Areas of Manual Handling
Task Individual Load Environment

1. Task: The manual handling activity

• It involves the processes and steps needed to perform an activity including appropriate employee movements such as pushing,
pulling, lifting, carrying objects, as well as stooping down or twisting at the waist at any point of the process. It helps assess the
needs of employees including adequate opportunity to rest and recover.
2. Individual: The person involved and their capabilities
• It is important to assess individual attributes such as age, preexisting health conditions or prior injuries, acquired training, level of
strength, height, and flexibility.
3. Load: The object being moved or transported
• Load assessment does not rely only on its weight but also on other factors as well including size, shape, and surfaces. These
factors can affect balance, object grasp, and handler’s view that could make it difficult, even dangerous, to move or transport.
4. Environment: The area of manual handling activity
• It is vital to check the area of activity, especially in restricted spaces. An area with an uneven floor can cause trips that may lead to
accidents, near misses, or worse, fatalities. Other environmental factors such as poor ventilation and weather conditions can also
affect the performance of employees performing manual handling.

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5 Principles of Manual Handling
Plan Position Pick Proceed Place
Before lifting or transporting an object, ensure to follow TILE in assessing the area. It would help assess if manual
handling would involve strenuous activity and long distances for employees to strategize where to rest and recover.

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5 Principles of Manual Handling
Plan Position Pick Proceed Place
Ensure to load the object evenly and use handles to maximize the power of an employee. Establish a good posture with
feet about shoulder-width apart and move the center of the body as close as possible to the center before lowering to
lift the object.

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5 Principles of Manual Handling
Plan Position Pick Proceed Place
Keeping a heavy load on the “power zone,” an area in the body that is horizontally between shoulders and vertically
between the middle of thighs and center of the chest, helps ensure that the limbs and trunk are not forced into awkward
postures to avoid the likelihood of injuries.

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5 Principles of Manual Handling
Plan Position Pick Proceed Place
Proceed – Moving from one place to another should be Place – Do not just drop the load immediately but
performed with caution. Employees should ensure that instead put it down slowly, steadily, and smoothly
there is a clear view of the travel path and it is when reaching the destination to protect employees
unobstructed to avoid tripping while performing manual from unnecessary strain and injury. If possible, locate
handling. the area of destination in a convenient place to help
manual handlers to maintain their pace.

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 Ergonomic Improvements
Engineering Controls Administrative Controls
• Rearranging, • Alternate heavy tasks with light tasks
• Modifying, • Provide variety in jobs to eliminate or reduce
• Redesigning, repetition (i.e., overuse of the same muscle
groups).
• Providing,
• Adjust work schedules, work pace, or work
• Replacing tools, equipment, workstations, practices.
packaging, parts, processes, products, or materials
• Provide recovery time (e.g., short rest breaks).
• Modify work practices so that workers perform
work within their power zone
• Rotate workers through jobs that use different
muscles, body parts, or postures.

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University of Cebu | Ergonomics 1
NIOSH Lifting Equation
• stands for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• NIOSH Lifting Equation is a tool used by occupational health and safety professionals to assess the
manual material handling risks associated with lifting and lowering tasks in the workplace.
When do we use NIOSH Lifting Equation?
We can use the Lifting Equation to assess two-handed lifting and lowering tasks performed by one
person standing.
However, we cannot use the Lifting Equation if the task is performed;
• with one hand, • in a restricted workspace,
• for over 8 hours, • with objects that are unstable (such as buckets or containers of
•while seated or kneeling, liquids),
• while pushing or pulling, • with high speed motion (faster than about 30 inches per second),
• with wheelbarrows or shovels, • with extremely hot or cold objects or in extreme temperatures, or
• with poor foot-to-floor coupling (high risk of a slip or fall)

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 NIOSH Lifting Equation
Multiplier

RWL = LC (51 lbs) x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM

Recommended Weight Limit
Load Constant
• H = Horizontal location of the object relative to the body
• V = Vertical location of the object relative to the floor
• D = Distance the object is moved vertically
• A = Asymmetry angle or twisting requirement
• F = Frequency and duration of lifting activity
• C = Coupling or quality of the workers grip on the object
How significant is the risk?
Lifting or Risk Index = Weight/RWL
> 1.0 High Risk
< 1.0 Nominal Risk

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NIOSH Lifting Equation Multipliers

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NIOSH Lifting Equation
RWL = LC (51 lbs) x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM
•C = Coupling or quality of the workers grip on the object

Coupling
1 = Good – Optimal design containers with handles of optimal design, or irregular objects where the hand can be easily
wrapped around the object.
2 = Fair – Optimal design containers with handles of less than optimal design, optimal design containers with no
handles or cut-outs, or irregular objects where the hand can be flexed about 90°.
3 = Poor – Less than optimal design container with no handles or cut-outs, or irregular objects that are hard to handle
and/or bulky (e.g. bags that sag in the middle).

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 NIOSH Lifting Equation
H = 15” at the origin
V = 12” at the origin and 42” at the destination
D = 30” (calculated for you)
A = 30° at the origin
C = 1 (good – container is of optimal design with
handhold cutouts)
F = .5 lifts/minute (1 lift every 2 minutes)
L = 28 lb. average load and 28 lb. maximum load
Dur = Long (lifting between 2 and 8 hours with standard
industrial rest allowances for lunch and rest breaks)
Step 1: Determine Task Variables Needed
Step 2: Determine and Record Task Variables
Step 3: Use Calculator to Determine RWL and LI

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 NIOSH Lifting Equation
H = 15” at the origin
V = 12” at the origin and 42” at the destination
D = 30” (calculated for you)
A = 30° at the origin
C = 1 (good – container is of optimal design with
handhold cutouts)
F = .5 lifts/minute (1 lift every 2 minutes)
L = 28 lb. average load and 28 lb. maximum load
Dur = Long (lifting between 2 and 8 hours with standard
industrial rest allowances for lunch and rest breaks)

RWL = LC (51 lbs) x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM

Lifting or Risk Index = Weight/RWL
RWL = 51 lbs x (10/15) x [1-(0.0075 x |12-30|] x (0.82 + [1.8/30)] x [1-(0.0032x30)] x 0.81 xLI1= 28 lbs/18.86 lbs
RWL = 51 lbs x 0.67 x 0.86 x 0.88 x 0.90 x 0.81 x 1 = 18.86 lbs L1 = 1.48 (HIGH RISK)

University of Cebu | Ergonomics 1

University of Cebu | Ergonomics 1