With the many manual material-handling demands placed on healthcare workers (e.g., patient handling, equipment manipulation, procedural setup), they are at high risk of experiencing work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Many surgical table sections are heavy and require awkward, repetitive postures to attach — but these physical demands on healthcare workers have received little consideration.
While object mass’ relationship to physical effort is well established,1 less is known about hand grip location relative to the center of mass.2 In this study, a team of Baxter researchers examined the effect of hand grip location and center of mass on physical effort during a surgical table section attachment task.2
Download a PDF now and learn how the design of your materials could help improve ease of use and potentially reduce injury risk for your teams.2
References
1. Ortengren, R., Andersson, G.B., & Nachemson, A.L. (1981). Studies of relationships between lumbar disc pressure, myoelectric back muscle activity, and intra-abdominal (intragastric) pressure. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). Jan-Feb;6(1):98-103. doi: 10.1097/00007632-198101000-00021. PMID: 7209681.
2. Banks JJ, Kooiker H, Wiggermann NE (in Review) Effect of Grip Location and Object Mass on Upper Body Muscle Activity While Manipulating a Surgical Table Segments. Submitted to: IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, Submission, ID: 249911099
