LIFTING CAPACITY among INDIAN MANUAL MATERIALS HANDLERS USING PROGRESSIVE ISOINERTIAL LIFTING EVALUATION

Purpose: Weight of the load which is to be lifted and its characteristics are considered to be important risk factors for low back disorders (LBD) among manual material handlers. Determining the amount of load a person can lift is important in minimizing the incidence of LBD. The objective of this study was to determine the lifting capacity, adopting two lifting techniques at two levels among male construction workers using progressive isoinertial lifting evaluation (PILE). Methods: One hundred and forty-three male construction workers with minimum 1 year of work experience and without any acute illnesses participated in this study. Workers were advised to perform PILE using two lifting techniques (stoop and squat) and at two lifting levels (waist and shoulder). Results: The mean lifting capacity was found to be 24.50 ± 5.10, 21.20 ± 5.54, 19.76 ± 4.08 and 17.25 ± 5.18 kg, respectively, for floor to waist-stoop, floor to waist-squat, floor to shoulder-stoop and floor to shoulder-squat categories. The lifting capacity decreased by 19.40% and 18.54% when the vertical distance was increased from waist to shoulder adopting stoop and squat techniques, respectively. Conclusion: Lifting capacity for construction workers has been determined using PILE, and it was found to be more during stoop technique of lifting at floor to waist level.