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| The WSIB statistics continue to
show that the prevalence of low back injuries in
the workplace is a concern. Large efforts have been
dedicated to developing methods to assess the physical
demands associated with manual material handling
(MMH) tasks. Ergonomists currently evaluate MMH
tasks for injury risk using one or more of the following
approaches: |
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Approach
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Description
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Assessment Tool
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Biomechanical
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Measures forces on the low back
and joint strength
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NIOSH Lifting Guidelines |
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Work Physiology / Metabolic
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Measures muscle fatigue, heart
rate and oxygen consumption to evaluate energy
expenditure
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Watbak
Garg Metabolic Equations |
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Psychophysic
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Measures worker's perceptions
of forces and fatigue
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Snook MMH Tables
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Epidemiology
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Measures injury statistics
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Mital et al, 1993 |
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