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NIOSH Lifting GuidelinesNIOSH Lifting Guidelines

Easy to Apply and Widely Used Guideline Requires No Special Equipment Evaluates Two-Handed Lifting or Lowering Only Assumes Worker is Not in Restricted Work Space Does Not Apply to Seated or Kneeling Workers

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Required InputsRequired Inputs

Horizontal Distance From Load to Low Back Vertical Location of Load at Beginning and End of

Lift Degrees from the Midline at Which the Load is

Located at Beginning and End of Lift Frequency of Lifting in Lifts Per Minute The Duration of the Task The Quality (or Lack of) Handles or Hand-holds The Load Weight

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Calculating RWLCalculating RWL

RWL = LC x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM Calculate RWL for Both Origin and Destination of

Lift Compare RWL-Origin to RWL-Destination and

Use the Lesser (More Protective) Value

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The Lifting IndexThe Lifting Index

Lifting Index (LI) = Load/RWL Lifting Index of 1.00 or less is acceptable Lifting Index of Greater than 1.00 up to 3.00

Indicates Need for Task and/or Administrative Changes

Lifting Index of Greater than 3.00 Unacceptably Hazardous - Engineering Changes Required

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Performing NIOSH Performing NIOSH Lifting EvaluationsLifting Evaluations

Collecting Good Input Data is One of the Analyst’s Primary Tasks

Machines Can Perform the Calculations (computer, calculator, etc.)

Interpreting the Results and Identifying Solutions are the Most Crucial Steps in the Process

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NIOSH Lifting NIOSH Lifting Evaluations are Important Evaluations are Important Provide Objective Evaluations of Lifting Tasks Is Widely Accepted and Respected as Valid Are Quick and Easy to Perform, Especially With

Software Provide a Baseline To Compare Against Any

Changes

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Example - Estimating Example - Estimating InputsInputs

Task: Pick up 25 lb crate of apples and place on a 35 inch shelf

Handle locations are 6 inches from bottom of crate Crate is 30 inches long and 14 inches wide Crate had cut-out handles Task is performed infrequently (less than once

every five minutes) Asymmetry is 15 degrees at both origin and

destination Task duration is 1 hour

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Example Task - Example Task - Measuring InputsMeasuring Inputs

Measure horizontal distance (H1) and vertical distance (V1) at the origin of lift

Estimate asymmetry at origin (A1) Measure horizontal distance (H2) and vertical

distance (V2) at the destination of lift Estimate asymmetry at destination (A2) Select hand-hold category (good, fair, or poor) Count the number of lifts in a given time frame,

and convert to lifts per minute Select the duration of the task: 1 hr, 2 hr, or 8 hr