Field Investigation of the Usability of the Revised Niosh Lifting Equation

Following the revision of the 1981 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation, research needs related to the revised equation were outlined. The need to obtain information on the usability of the revised NIOSH equation in actual work environments was expressed. This paper reports on extensive experiences with training users, and application of the equation in varied work settings. Qualitative results from training sessions indicated that frequency, asymmetry, and duration are the parameters that should be given relatively longer instruction periods and resulted in the most questions. Field applications indicated that the variable nature of lifting/lowering demands found in many jobs resulted in difficulty applying the equation. Approximately 35% of 1103 lifting and lowering tasks had at least one parameter outside of acceptable ranges, while a majority of workers (62.8%) reported other manual handling tasks that are counter to assumptions made in the development of the equation. The practical implications of the findings are discussed.