Descripción de Ergonomics Lifting Solution 1998 OSHA:

Manual material handling (MMH) work contributes to a large percentage of the over half a million cases of musculoskeletal disorders reported annually in the United States. Musculoskeletal disorders often involve strains and sprains to the lower back, shoulders, and upper limbs. They 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. Their potential for reducing injury related costs alone make ergonomic interventions a useful tool for improving a companys productivity, product quality, and overall business competitiveness. But very often productivity gets an additional and solid shot in the arm when managers and workers take a fresh look at how best to use energy, equipment, and exertion to get the job done in the most efficient, effective, and effortless way possible. Two general types of ergonomic improvement can be made. First are engineering improvements, which include rearranging, modifying, redesigning, providing or replacing tools, equipment, workstations, packaging, parts, processes, products, or materials. Second are administrative improvements such as job rotation, can help reduce workers exposures to risk factors by limiting the amount of time workers spend on problem jobs. However, these measures may still expose workers to risk factors that can lead to injuries. For these reasons, the most effective way to eliminate problem jobs is to change them. This can be done by putting into place the appropriate engineering improvements and modifying work practices accordingly. For more information on manual material handling, including lifting, go to the NIOSH website Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-131/#_improving_manual . This is clipped from the 1998 OSHA video, Ergonomic Programs That Work. The entire film is available at the Internet Archive.