Provisional recommended weight limits for manual lifting during pregnancy

Details

• Personal Author:
  Goddard DE ; Hudock, Stephen D. ; MacDonald, Leslie A. ; Waters, Thomas R.
• Description:
  Objective: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Revised Lifting Equation (RNLE) was adapted to derive recommended weight limits (RWLs) for pregnant workers and to develop corresponding guidelines for clinicians. Background: In the past three decades there has been a large increase in the number of women employed outside the home and remaining in the workforce during pregnancy. Practical authoritative guidelines based on accumulated evidence are needed to inform allowable work activity levels for healthy pregnant workers. Method: Empirically based lifting criteria established by NIOSH to reduce the risk of overexertion injuries in the general U.S. working population were evaluated for application to pregnant workers. Our evaluation included an extensive review of the literature linking occupational lifting to maternal and fetal health. Decision logic and supporting literature are presented, along with computational details. Results: Provisional RWLs for pregnant workers were derived from the RNLE, along with guidelines for clinicians. The guidelines advise against pregnant workers lifting below midshin and overhead. Conclusion: Based on our review of the available evidence, we present lifting thresholds that most pregnant workers with uncomplicated pregnancies should be able to perform without increased risk of adverse maternal and fetal health consequences. Except for restrictions involving lifting from the floor and overhead, the provisional guidelines presented are compatible with NIOSH lifting recommendations adopted in the early 1990s for the general working population. Application: Implementation of these provisional guidelines could protect millions of female workers in the workplace from fetal and maternal lifting-related health problems. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Decision Making Health Personnel Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Safety Management Women Workload
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Manual Lifting Decision-making Health-standards Human-factors-engineering Injury-prevention Manual-lifting Manual-materials-handling Musculoskeletal-system Occupational Hazard Overloading Physical-stress Physicians Recommendations Safety-measures Weight-factors Work-capacity Work-practices

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• ISSN:
  0018-7208
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  203-214
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043108
• Citation:
  Hum Factors 2014 Feb; 56(1):203-214
• Contact Point Address:
  Stephen D. Hudock, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  sxh5@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Wholesale and Retail Trade ; Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Human Factors
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d61c5d5fcaa2badecadc631b6c81384b7f335d05b014c6c9cd0d83b82c8f3e65241fc2e6007da4cc2e6af7eada871a5c1a0b2a4da74a6c84e44ec46136e425ed
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195121/cdc_195121_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 575.40 KB ]