ERGONOMICS OF MANUAL MATERIALS HANDLING - Environmentally Conscious Materials Handling - page 30

CHAPTER 2
ERGONOMICS OF MANUAL MATERIALS
HANDLING

James L. Smith, Jeffrey C. Woldstad, and Patrick Patterson
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

1 INTRODUCTION 31

3.3 Device Design Summary 58

4 IMPLICATIONS OF USING

AN ERGONOMIC
APPROACH

2 NIOSH WORK PRACTICES

GUIDE 32

59

2.1 Four Approaches for Studying

Materials Handling

4.1 Value of Ergonomics 59

32

4.2 Controls and Solutions: Fitting the

JobtotheWorker

2.2 NIOSH 1981 Recommendations 37

60

2.3 Example Using 1981 NIOSH

Guide 41

5 SUMMARY: THE NIOSH

LIFTING EQUATION,
ERGONOMICS, AND YOUR
BOTTOM LINE

2.4 Revised NIOSH Guide 43

3 MECHANICAL MATERIALS

HANDLING

61

52

3.1 Device Types and Uses 52

REFERENCES 61

3.2 Ergonomic Issues in Device Design,

Selection, and Installation 55

1 INTRODUCTION

Ergonomics is the science that matches the capabilities and limitations of humans
to the demands of their jobs. The term jobs can range from very traditional
and literal activities, such as using hand tools or operating equipment, to more
figurative jobs such as driving a car or using a cell phone. In the context of
materials handling, the job may range from traditional manual materials handling
to operating materials handling equipment such as lift trucks or pallet jacks.
In any ergonomics evaluation where potential for injury exists for the workers
involved, three strategies are generally proposed. The first level of risk reduction
involves engineering controls , where the hazardous situation is designed out of
the task or is eliminated from the worker's job. An example such as automa-
tion, where a machine replaces a human as a materials handler, is a common
engineering control. If an engineering solution is not feasible or technologically

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