Regular postings on ergonomics, injury prevention, and employee engagement.
There’s an app for that! Lifting equation apps can help reduce workplace injuries.
Did you know that there is a quick and easy way you can calculate the safe amount of weight to lift while completing tasks at work?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a free mobile lifting calculator app, NLE Calc, for workers to use to help determine what an appropriate lifting load is as well as recommendations to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). The NLE Calc app is based on the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation (RNLE) to calculate the composite lifting index (CLI).
This app can help workers in a variety of settings such as manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and other workplaces where frequent lifting occurs. By using this app, workers can gauge their risk for injury before performing a lifting task. My favorite thing about the app is that when you are filling out information if you are unaware of how to answer a certain section, there is an “info button” you can click that provides an easy-to-read description on what you need to put for that section. The recommendations suggested after completing the equation are also a quick and easy ways in which workers can make modifications with their work tasks to help reduce the risk of injury.
Looking for a more in-depth equation?
Based on the Liberty Mutual Manuals Handling Equations, the “Liberty Mutual Manual Materials Handling Population Percentiles” provides an online table for individuals to determine the amount of performing manual tasks a person can do without perceived exertion. The manual tasks include lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying. The equation can be completed for both males and females and you can choose from imperial or metric units. The Liberty Mutual Handling Equation can be found at https://libertymmhtables.libertymutual.com/ or downloading the app called ErgoValuator™. My favorite thing about using the ErgoValuator™ app is that you can video record a task and then enter the appropriate parameters and the app will output population percentiles, the NIOSH Lifting Index, and the energy expenditure estimate, as well as the back injury predictor.
Take Away: These two equations can be incorporated into your workplace to provide quick and easy information about injury risks with work-related manual tasks as well as provide simple solutions to reduce these risks.
