1996•Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual MeetingRequires access

Maximum Safe Weight of Lift: A New Paradigm for Setting Design Limits in Manual Lifting Tasks Based on the Psychophysical Approach

Waldemar Karwowski

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to introduce a new concept for setting design limits in manual lifting tasks, i.e., the notion of the maximum safe weight of lift (MSWL), and to examine the effects of different sets of subject instructions for load selection on the amount of weight determined by male subjects in the psychophysical experiment. The results revealed that the MSWL values were significantly lower than the maximum acceptable weight of lift (MAWL) values. It was proposed that the classical approach to setting design limits in manual lifting tasks, based on the psychophysical method introduced by S. Snook, be modified to emphasize the subjects' safety and to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury.

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Key concepts: Lift (data mining), Weight lifting, Manual handling, Computer science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Physical therapy