Ergonomics Case Study: Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation Instruction Issues for Students

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Personal Author:
  Cole, Sandra S. ; McGlothlin, James D.
• Description:
  This case study investigated the effectiveness of formal instruction of the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation for university students who may use the equation in their future work. Their successes and challenges were examined through a class exercise and two exams, all of which followed the classroom instruction in applying the Lifting Equation. Results showed students (1) had difficulty determining relevant values for task variables from reading a job description, and (2) generally were able to calculate the Recommended Weight Limit (RWL) and Lifting Index (LI) when task variables were such that the associated multipliers were less than or equal to 1. However, when the multiplier was calculated to be greater than 1, students had difficulty interpreting the result. The task variable and multiplier (consistently the greatest challenge) were the asymmetry task variable, A, and the asymmetric multiplier, AM. Results indicate that the layout of the Job Analysis Worksheet for Step 1 may make it easy to make arithmetic errors when calculating multipliers. It is recommended that the worksheet be redesigned to help individuals decrease the probability of making an arithmetic error when calculating the task variables, multipliers, RWL, and LI. It is also recommended that the redesigned worksheet be tested to determine whether fewer arithmetic errors are made and if the worksheet is less confusing for an inexperienced user to use. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Ergonomics Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Lifting Index (LI) Lifting Capacity NIOSH Lifting Equation Recommended Weight Limit (RWL) Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation University Students Weight Measurement
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10 pdf pages
• Volume:
  6
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056710
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2009 Nov; 6(11):D73-D81
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  Purdue University, School of Health Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010701
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:53bcd65c2376f2706d44d405fed2c7f230f3c078edfa5f0787f209d3dd7033767c227ef58fad9fdf50afc7960cdd861d68eab5393d6d1908cedd6c51dcde1446
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214262/cdc_214262_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.10 MB ]