Physiological fatigue limit of combined manual materials handling tasks

The present study is aimed at determining Physiological Fatigue Limit (PFL) values for Combined Manual Materials Handling (CMMH) tasks while handling Maximum Acceptable Weight of Lift (MAWL), and to compare the PFL of handling MAWL and PFL values expressed as percentages of treadmill aerobic capacity and values expressed as percentages of CMMH aerobic capacity. Results of the study show that PFL values of CMMH tasks, on the average, are approximately 25% of treadmill aerobic capacity and 35% of CMMH aerobic capacity. This difference is statistically significant. It is suggested that the PFL figures used for designing manual materials handling jobs should be based on physiological data collected using real or simulated manual materials handling tasks rather than standard tasks of treadmill, etc.

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