Evaluating risk factors in manual material handling tasks (lifting and lowering)

Zaini, Bazli Faiq (2015) Evaluating risk factors in manual material handling tasks (lifting and lowering). Project Report. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Manual handling activities such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or holding a load are commonly examples of tasks that requiring human strength. Muscle or human strength is a basis for manual material handling (MMH) job and workplace design. Improper ways of manual handling will cause a muscle fatigue and muscle discomfort at the workers. Manual handling activities at work can result in a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The main objectives of this study were to evaluate risk factors contributing to muscle fatigue; to analyze muscle activity while performing MMH tasks using Design of Experiments methodology and to model relationship between muscle activity with predictor namely body posture, load mass and exposure time. To assess the risk factor contribute to muscle discomfort, related information were gathered from the questionnaire. Data for muscle activity at RT Biceps BR, LT Biceps BR, LT Upper Trap, RT Lumbar ES and LT Lumbar ES were analyzed using surface electromyography (sEMG) while subject performing manual lifting/lowering task and lastly the relationship between muscle activity and parameter (posture, load mass, exposure time) were modelled using analysis of variance (ANOVA). As a results, load mass become an important factor that affected all muscle activity during the experiments and no interaction involved since all the combination were not significant. From the model relationship, only three muscles (RT Biceps BR, LT Biceps BR and LT Upper Trap) were involved in performing linear model as to show the coefficient value from the parameter that can affected muscle activity. As a conclusion, load mass become a main factor that can contribute to muscle fatigue and model relationship proved that there were three muscles involved were formed at RT Biceps BR, LT Biceps BR and LT Upper Trap muscle.

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