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Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling Now Available From Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA)

Manufacturing News, Source : The Manufacturer US
Published : 03 May 2007 13:56

(Charlotte, NC - April 21, 2007) Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) announces the availability of Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling.

This 68-page booklet was developed and co-published by the Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment (EASE) Product Council of Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), Cal/OSHA, CNA Insurance Companies and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Based on 2005 statistics from the National Safety Council (NSC), the U.S. had 142,946,000 documented workers. The total cost to work related injuries and deaths in the United States was $160.4 billion. Manual material handling (MMH) work related injuries was a major contributor to a large percentage of the over half a million cases of musculoskeletal disorders reported annually in the United States. Musculoskeletal disorders can result in protracted pain, disability, medical treatment, and financial stress for those afflicted with them, and employers often find themselves paying the bill, either directly or through workers' compensation insurance, at the same time they must cope with the loss of the full capacity of their workers.

Scientific evidence shows that effective ergonomic interventions can lower the physical demands of MMH work tasks, thereby lowering the incidence and severity of the musculoskeletal injuries they can cause. This could help reduce the amount of time lost because of work related injuries. The NSC estimated that in 2005 the number of workdays lost by U.S. employees was 80,000,000 days. Their potential for reducing injury-related costs and time lost because of work injuries alone makes ergonomic interventions a useful tool for improving a company's productivity, product quality, and overall business competitiveness.

Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling can help recognize high-risk MMH work tasks and choose effective options for reducing their physical demands such as:

* Eliminating lifting from the floor and using simple transport devices like carts or dollies

* Using lift-assist devices like scissors lift tables or load levelers

* Using more sophisticated equipment like powered stackers, hoists, cranes, or vacuum assist devices

* Guiding your choice of equipment by analyzing and redesigning work stations and workflow

Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling is available at no cost at the MHIA Bookstore at www.mhia.org/bookstore. Once there, click on the Ergonomic Assist Systems & Equipment link for more information and to download Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling or call 800-345-1815/704-676-1190.

The EASE Council is a Product Council of MHIA that promotes the benefits of ergonomic assist systems and equipment in the workplace. EASE also promotes the general safety and health aspects of work environments for people with or in the vicinity of mechanical equipment. The Council disseminates and maintains guidelines and standards, case studies and technical papers. EASE Council member companies are concerned, conscientious manufacturers of ergonomic systems and equipment.

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