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Manual materials handling
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS ELSEVIER
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 14 (1994) 263-264
Book review
Manual Materials Handling, by A. Mital, A. Nicholson, and M.M. Ayoub. Taylor and Francis, London, $25.00. *
Manual Materials Handling is an important book because it gives detailed numerical weight recommendations for various material handling tasks. It is likely to become the standard worldwide guideline. The authors have been doing research in the area for many years and are intimately familiar with the challenges of manual material handling. An important feature of the book is that it not only gives detailed recommendations for lifting but also for pushing (one and two-handed), pulling (one and two-handed), carrying (one and twohanded), holding and material handling in unusual postures. The book has two parts: Background and Guidelines. Background has: 1 The world-wide scope of manual materials handling 2 Factors to be considered in designing manual materials handling tasks. 3 Design approaches to solving manual materials handling problems. Guidelines has: 4 Lifting 5 Pushing 6 Pulling 7 Carrying
* This review has also appeared in Ergonomics and Ergonomics International, Taylor and Francis, London.
8 Holding 9 Materials handling in unusual postures 10 Mechanical aids. Chapter 3 explains the author's balancing of information gathered (by other's as well as themselves) by the epidemiological approach, the biomechanical approach, the physiological approach and the psychophysical approach. Their basic approach is to place primary emphasis on the psychophysical approach but modify those value for various special situations. Their basic recommendation is that males should not lift more than 27 kg and females more than 20 kg. Table 4.2 gives 720 recommended weights of lift (kg) for male industrial workers for twohanded symmetrical lifting for 8 h. It has four variables. box size (75, 49 and 34 cm) frequency of lift (1/8 h, 1/30 rain, 1/5 min), (l/rain, 4/min, 8/min, 12/min, 16/min) lifts (floor to 80 cm, floor to 132 cm, floor to 183 cm, 80 to 132 cm, 80 to 183 cm, and 132 to 183 cm) percentile (90, 75, 50, 25, 10). Table 4.3 gives 720 recommended weights of lift (kg) for female industrial workers for twohanded symmetrical lifting for 8 h. A very significant supplement to Tables 4.2 and 4.3 are the six tables used to modify Tables 4.2 and 4.3. Table 4.4, working duration, gives multipliers for 1, 4, 8 and 12 h for men and women. Table 4.5, limited headroom, gives multipliers for fully upright, 95% upright, 90% upright, 85% upright and 80% upright. Table 4.6, asymmetrical lifting, gives multipli-
0169-8141/94/$07.00 © 1994 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
264
Book review / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 14 (1994) 263-264
ers for 0-30 ° of turn, 30-60, 60-90, and above 90. Table 4.7, load asymmetry (sidewise shift in frontal plane), gives multipliers for load asymmetry of 0, 10, 20 and 30 cm. Table 4.8, couplings, gives multipliers for good comfortable handles, poor quality handles and no handles. Table 4.9, load clearance (e.g. shelves), gives multipliers for umlimited to 30 mm, 15 mm and 3 mm. Table 4.10, heat stress, gives multipliers for up to 27°C WBGT, and 32°C. Table 4.11 and 4.12 give 35 maximum frequencies (cycles/min) for one-hand horizontal movement for males and females for 2 h. The task is move the object from the body and return the hand empty. The table variables are posture (sit vs. stand), reach distance (38 and 63 cm) and load (2.3 and 4.5 kg). Table 5.1 gives 330 recommended initial forces (kg) for male industrial workers for two-handed pushing and 330 values for females. The table variables are handle height (144, 95 and 64 cm), frequency of pushing (10/min, 5/min, 4/min, 2.4/min, 1/min, 1/2 min, 1/5 min and 1/8 h;
forces are not given for all frequencies), pushing distance (2.1, 7.6, 15.2, 30.5, 45.7 and 61 nm) and population percentile (90, 75, 50, 25 and 10). Table 5.2 gives values for sustained pushing. Table 6.1 and 6.2 give values for initial and sustained pulling. Table 7.1 and 7.2 give values for recommended weight of carry (kg) for male and female industrial workers for two-hand carrying of symmetrical loads for 8 h. Table 8.1 and 8.2 give the average holding time(s) for different loads (kg) for males and females. Table 9.1 and 9.2 give recommended weight of lift for males and females for 68 unusual postures. The weights are for the 90, 75, 50, 25 and 10th percentiles. Table 9.3 to 9.9 give isometric push force (kg) for 9 different pushing postures. All this for only $25. Taylor and Francis obviously expects this to be a bestseller and I agree.
STEPHAN KONZ Department of Industrial Engineering Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 14 (1994) 263-264
Book review
Manual Materials Handling, by A. Mital, A. Nicholson, and M.M. Ayoub. Taylor and Francis, London, $25.00. *
Manual Materials Handling is an important book because it gives detailed numerical weight recommendations for various material handling tasks. It is likely to become the standard worldwide guideline. The authors have been doing research in the area for many years and are intimately familiar with the challenges of manual material handling. An important feature of the book is that it not only gives detailed recommendations for lifting but also for pushing (one and two-handed), pulling (one and two-handed), carrying (one and twohanded), holding and material handling in unusual postures. The book has two parts: Background and Guidelines. Background has: 1 The world-wide scope of manual materials handling 2 Factors to be considered in designing manual materials handling tasks. 3 Design approaches to solving manual materials handling problems. Guidelines has: 4 Lifting 5 Pushing 6 Pulling 7 Carrying
* This review has also appeared in Ergonomics and Ergonomics International, Taylor and Francis, London.
8 Holding 9 Materials handling in unusual postures 10 Mechanical aids. Chapter 3 explains the author's balancing of information gathered (by other's as well as themselves) by the epidemiological approach, the biomechanical approach, the physiological approach and the psychophysical approach. Their basic approach is to place primary emphasis on the psychophysical approach but modify those value for various special situations. Their basic recommendation is that males should not lift more than 27 kg and females more than 20 kg. Table 4.2 gives 720 recommended weights of lift (kg) for male industrial workers for twohanded symmetrical lifting for 8 h. It has four variables. box size (75, 49 and 34 cm) frequency of lift (1/8 h, 1/30 rain, 1/5 min), (l/rain, 4/min, 8/min, 12/min, 16/min) lifts (floor to 80 cm, floor to 132 cm, floor to 183 cm, 80 to 132 cm, 80 to 183 cm, and 132 to 183 cm) percentile (90, 75, 50, 25, 10). Table 4.3 gives 720 recommended weights of lift (kg) for female industrial workers for twohanded symmetrical lifting for 8 h. A very significant supplement to Tables 4.2 and 4.3 are the six tables used to modify Tables 4.2 and 4.3. Table 4.4, working duration, gives multipliers for 1, 4, 8 and 12 h for men and women. Table 4.5, limited headroom, gives multipliers for fully upright, 95% upright, 90% upright, 85% upright and 80% upright. Table 4.6, asymmetrical lifting, gives multipli-
0169-8141/94/$07.00 © 1994 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
264
Book review / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 14 (1994) 263-264
ers for 0-30 ° of turn, 30-60, 60-90, and above 90. Table 4.7, load asymmetry (sidewise shift in frontal plane), gives multipliers for load asymmetry of 0, 10, 20 and 30 cm. Table 4.8, couplings, gives multipliers for good comfortable handles, poor quality handles and no handles. Table 4.9, load clearance (e.g. shelves), gives multipliers for umlimited to 30 mm, 15 mm and 3 mm. Table 4.10, heat stress, gives multipliers for up to 27°C WBGT, and 32°C. Table 4.11 and 4.12 give 35 maximum frequencies (cycles/min) for one-hand horizontal movement for males and females for 2 h. The task is move the object from the body and return the hand empty. The table variables are posture (sit vs. stand), reach distance (38 and 63 cm) and load (2.3 and 4.5 kg). Table 5.1 gives 330 recommended initial forces (kg) for male industrial workers for two-handed pushing and 330 values for females. The table variables are handle height (144, 95 and 64 cm), frequency of pushing (10/min, 5/min, 4/min, 2.4/min, 1/min, 1/2 min, 1/5 min and 1/8 h;
forces are not given for all frequencies), pushing distance (2.1, 7.6, 15.2, 30.5, 45.7 and 61 nm) and population percentile (90, 75, 50, 25 and 10). Table 5.2 gives values for sustained pushing. Table 6.1 and 6.2 give values for initial and sustained pulling. Table 7.1 and 7.2 give values for recommended weight of carry (kg) for male and female industrial workers for two-hand carrying of symmetrical loads for 8 h. Table 8.1 and 8.2 give the average holding time(s) for different loads (kg) for males and females. Table 9.1 and 9.2 give recommended weight of lift for males and females for 68 unusual postures. The weights are for the 90, 75, 50, 25 and 10th percentiles. Table 9.3 to 9.9 give isometric push force (kg) for 9 different pushing postures. All this for only $25. Taylor and Francis obviously expects this to be a bestseller and I agree.
STEPHAN KONZ Department of Industrial Engineering Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506