Effects of industrial back supports on physiological demand, lifting style and perceived exertion

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Abstract

The industrial back support has seen widespread and increasing use in manual material handling activities in recent years. This paper reports the results of a laboratory investigation in which subjects performed manual lifting of 7 and 14 kg loads at frequencies of 3, 6, and 9 lifts/minute. The six lifting task combinations were repeated under both with-support and without-support conditions while a total of 17 physiological, kinematic, and psychophysical variables were recorded. Based upon analysis, several general conclusions were reached: (1) with the exception of blood pressure, industrial back supports did not affect physiological responses, including energy expenditure, during lifting; (2) significant increases in blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) while wearing a back support may present long-term health concerns for some worker populations; (3) lifting style in the sagittal plane was not altered by the support; and (4) subjects did not perceive less effort in lifting with a back support versus without. Overall, these results suggest that the demands of lifting are not reduced with the use of an industrial back support. The lack of rationale for the use of these devices based upon ergonomic criteria should call into question the continued prescription of the devices under the presumption of hazard control.

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