Date of Graduation

1997

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Committee Chair

Terry J. Stobbe

Committee Co-Chair

Timothy J. Pizatella

Committee Member

Gerald R. Hobbs, Jr.

Committee Member

Diane L. McMullin

Committee Member

Ralph W. Plummer

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have indicated that work involving lifting heavy objects or lifting and twisting with moderate weights can impose increased compressive, shear, and torsional stresses on a worker's lumbar spine. Current statistics indicate that musculoskeletal sprains and strains account for more than 40% of the 2.0 million lost-time work-related injuries that occurred in 1995. Considering both direct and indirect costs, lost-time musculoskeletal injuries can cost U.S. industries {dollar}70 billion to \\{dollar}80 billion annually. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of lifting symmetrically and asymmetrically from knee height to chest or eye height on the (a) psychophysically selected weights lifted, (b) average heart rate over two 30-min lifting sessions for four test conditions, and (c) estimated compressive loading to the L5/S1 intervertebral disc for each test condition. The weights lifted were compared to the Recommended Weight Limits that result from an analysis of the task characteristics using the revised NIOSH lifting equation. Eight West Virginia University engineering students volunteered as subjects. Paired comparison t-tests indicate that there was a significant difference in average weight lifted between chest and eye height for symmetrical lifts {dollar}(p

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