Pelvic positions during lifting, a multi factor analysis

The study is dedicated to the evaluation of the pelvic movements during the common acts involved in occupational lifting. Pelvic kinematics in terms of angular rotation has been analyzed in a controlled set of experiments under three methods of lifting while performing various lifting assignments, by male and female subjects. The study was designed to evaluate positioning differences in anatomical geometry due to subject gender, object's weight and reach to object distances. Measurements of angular displacements describe the geometrical motion of the pelvic during five phases of the lifting act. Analysis of the variance was performed on angular displacement, as recorded for each lifting assignment. The findings are discussed in two modes, one for different values of lifting weights, and the other for different horizontal reach distances. The paper presents an analysis of the factors affecting the performance of lifting, which contributes to the effort directed toward prevention of back injury. Relevance to industry: The analysis of angular displacement in the human pelvic during the lifting act is important for the study of low-back pain and safety in manual materials handling. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.