1. 1 NIOSH Lifting Guidelines n Easy to Apply and Widely Used Guideline n Requires No Special Equipment n Evaluates Two-Handed Lifting or Lowering Only n Assumes Worker is Not in Restricted Work Space n Does Not Apply to Seated or Kneeling Workers

2. 2 Required Inputs n Horizontal Distance From Load to Low Back n Vertical Location of Load at Beginning and End of Lift n Degrees from the Midline at Which the Load is Located at Beginning and End of Lift n Frequency of Lifting in Lifts Per Minute n The Duration of the Task n The Quality (or Lack of) Handles or Hand-holds n The Load Weight

3. 3 Calculating RWL n RWL = LC x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM n Calculate RWL for Both Origin and Destination of Lift n Compare RWL-Origin to RWL-Destination and Use the Lesser (More Protective) Value

4. 4 The Lifting Index n Lifting Index (LI) = Load/RWL n Lifting Index of 1.00 or less is acceptable n Lifting Index of Greater than 1.00 up to 3.00 Indicates Need for Task and/or Administrative Changes n Lifting Index of Greater than 3.00 Unacceptably Hazardous - Engineering Changes Required

5. 5 Performing NIOSH Lifting Evaluations n Collecting Good Input Data is One of the Analyst’s Primary Tasks n Machines Can Perform the Calculations (computer, calculator, etc.) n Interpreting the Results and Identifying Solutions are the Most Crucial Steps in the Process

6. 6 NIOSH Lifting Evaluations are Important n Provide Objective Evaluations of Lifting Tasks n Is Widely Accepted and Respected as Valid n Are Quick and Easy to Perform, Especially With Software n Provide a Baseline To Compare Against Any Changes

7. 7 Example - Estimating Inputs n Task: Pick up 25 lb crate of apples and place on a 35 inch shelf n Handle locations are 6 inches from bottom of crate n Crate is 30 inches long and 14 inches wide n Crate had cut-out handles n Task is performed infrequently (less than once every five minutes) n Asymmetry is 15 degrees at both origin and destination n Task duration is 1 hour

8. 8 Example Task - Measuring Inputs n Measure horizontal distance (H1) and vertical distance (V1) at the origin of lift n Estimate asymmetry at origin (A1) n Measure horizontal distance (H2) and vertical distance (V2) at the destination of lift n Estimate asymmetry at destination (A2) n Select hand-hold category (good, fair, or poor) n Count the number of lifts in a given time frame, and convert to lifts per minute n Select the duration of the task: 1 hr, 2 hr, or 8 hr