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 fi nd 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.
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.
Fingers are involved only to the extent that they are an extension of the hand, such as to turn a switch or to shift automobile gears.
To avoid these problems, your organization can directly benefit from improving the fit between the demands of work tasks and the capabilities of your workers.
Remember that workers’ abilities to perform work tasks may vary because of differences in age, physical condition, strength, gender, stature, and other factors.