Evaluation of the Physical Efforts in Manual Material Handling Of
Gas Tank Dealers
Abstract: Lifting is an inherent part of our daily living
INTRODUCTION:
Most of the tasks in industries like
manufacturing, construction, agriculture and
others include load handling or manual
material handling. Manual material handling
is a task that involves any kind of
manipulation to a load or object. Though,
automation is already being widely used in
many aspects especially in the industries, it is
still unavoidable.
Mostly, fatigue, accidents and illnesses
in the work place are commonly caused by
manual material handling (MMH). Because of
improper material handling and mostly due to
overloading, many suffer from different
injuries. It was also reported that annually, in
over-half-a-million cases of MSDs
specifically back injuries; a large percentage
of it was due to MMH.
Under manual material handling,
lifting or moving an object from a lower
position to a higher position at once by hand is
the one of most common task being done by
workers in many industries.
METHODOLOGY:
The population for this study consisted
of workers from a propane tank refilling
station (Petron Gas station) who works on
daily basis. This study used biomechanical
approach wherein the work tasks like pushing,
pulling, carrying, lowering or lifting of a load
from one place to another are being evaluated.
Three workers from a gasoline station were
evaluated using the NIOSH manual material
handling checklist and through NIOSH Lifting
Equations to determine the recommended
weight limit or the maximum weight that a
worker should lift with the use of two hands.
Demographic profiles of the respondents were
also collected. The sample consists of all male
workers and the average age of the workers is
around 35 years with average height of 158
cm.
Measuring the work area or the tools
used in the task is also one of the methods
used for the purpose of calculation of the risks
and for the purpose of improvising if ever
needed.
Table 1: Demographic profile of respondents

Age
Height Weight
(yrs.)
Worker 1 38 165 cm 67 kg
Worker 2 32 152 cm 62 kg
Worker 3 35 157 cm 56 kg
METHODOLOGY

This study used biomechanical approach wherein the work tasks like pushing, pulling,

carrying, lowering or lifting of a load from one place to another are being evaluated. A sample

of three workers from a propane tank refilling station (Petron Gas station) were interviewed and

evaluated through the use of NIOSH Lifting equation and through NIOSH Manual Material

Handling (MMH) Checklist to determine the recommended weight limit or the maximum weight

that a worker should be lift with the use of two hands.

To identify job problems quickly, the tool NIOSH Manual Material Handling (MMH)

Checklist is used. Wherein “No” responses means that the job can have potential dangers or

problems and needs to be investigated.

Using NIOSH Lifting Equation means getting or measuring some variables like the;

Load weight (L) in pounds or kilogram; Horizontal Location (H) or the distance from the

midpoint of the object lifted to the midpoint between the ankles, in inches or centimeters;

Vertical Location (V) or the height wherein the load should be placed from the origin where the

load was lifted; Vertical travel distance (D) or the distance difference from the destination and

the origin of lift: Asymmetry angle (A); Lifting frequency (F) or the number of lifts per minute;
and Coupling classification (C) wherein the coupling between hand and object is classified as

good, fair or poor.

On using NIOSH Lifting Equation there is a formula being used to determine the

Recommended Weight Limit (RWL) which is stated as:

RWL = LC + HM + VM + DM + AM + FM + CM

Where:

METRIC U.S. CUSTOMARY

Load constant LC 23 kg 51 lb
Horizontal multiplier HM 25/H 10/h
Vertical Multiplier VM 1-(0.003|V-75|) 1-(0.0075|V-30|)
Distance Multiplier DM 0.82+(4.5/D) 0.82+(1.8/D)
Asymmetric Multiplier AM 1-(0.0032A) 1-(0.0032A)
Frequency Multiplier FM *table 5 *table 5
Coupling Multiplier CM *table 7 *table 7
 Table 8

Lifting Index Value

LIFTING INDEX VALUE SAFETY LEVEL

LI <1 Safe and healthy for all workers

1<1<2 Safe but can begin to be physically stressful

Signifcant levels of physical stress and

LI>3
health concerns

RESULTS:

From the conducted checklist, it was found out that there are only two“NO” responses

which indicates that there are minimal problems in the job. The checklist indicates that there are

no mechanical aids used whenever possible and the working surfaces are not adjustable to the

best handling heights.

And through the use of NIOSH Lifting Equations (results Table 8) it was found out that

the weights being lifted by the workers does not exceed the maximum limit or the recommended

weight limit which means that the weight they are lifting are still safe.
 Table 9

NIOSH Manual Material Handling (MMH) Checklist

Yes No
Are the weights of loads to be lifted judged
acceptable by the workforce? ✔
Are materials moved over minimum
distances? ✔
Is the distance between the object load and
the body minimized? ✔
Are objects easy to grasp? ✔
Are objects stable? ✔
Are objects able to be held without slipping? ✔
Is there enough room to maneuver? ✔
Are mechanical aids used whenever
possible? ✘
Are working surfaces adjustable to the best
handling heights? ✘
Does material handling avoid static muscle
✔
loading?
Does material handling avoid twisting at the
✔
waist?
Is help available for heavy or awkward lifts? ✔

Table 10

Computed RWL and Lifting Index

weight of tank
Computed RWL Lifting index
lifted
 origin dest. origin dest.

worker 1 24kg 28.23 28.25 0.85 0.85

worker 2 24.5kg 28.22 28.23 0.87 0.87

worker 3 23kg 28.28 28.30 0.85 0.85

 JOB ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
DEPARTMENT _____________________ JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE _____________________ Lifting propane tank into a cabinet
ANALYST NAME _____________________ ________________________________________
DATE _____________________
STEP 1. Measure and record task variables
Vertical Asymmetric angle Frequency Object
Object Head Location
distance (degrees) rate coupling
weight (kg)
Origin Destination (m) Origin Destination lifts/min
L H V H V D A A F C
24.5 48 62 48 85 23 45 45 2 0.95

STEP 2. Determine the multipliers and compute the RWL

RWL= LC + HM + VM + DM + AM + FM + CM
ORIGIN RWL = 23kg + 25/48 + [1-(0.003|62-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/23)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL= 28.22
DESTINATION RWL =23kg + 25/48 + [1-(0.003|85-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/23)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL= 28.23
STEP 3. Compute the lifting Index
object weight (L)
LIFTING INDEX =
RWL

24.5
LIFTING INDEX = = 0.87
28.22

24.5
LIFTING INDEX = = 0.87
28.23

JOB ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

DEPARTMENT _____________________ JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE _____________________ ________________________________________
ANALYST NAME _____________________ ________________________________________
DATE _____________________
STEP 1. Measure and record task variables
Asymmetric angle Frequency Object
Head Location Vertical
Object weight (degrees) rate coupling
distance
Origin Destination Origin Destination lifts/min
L H V H V D
A A F C
(kg) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm)
24 44 59 44 85 26 45 45 2 0.95
STEP 2. Determine the multipliers and compute the RWL
 RWL= LC + HM + VM + DM + AM + FM + CM
ORIGIN RWL = 23kg + 25/44 + [1-(0.003|59-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/26)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL= 28.23 kg
DESTINATION RWL = 23kg + 25/44 + [1-(0.003|85-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/26)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL = 28.25 kg
STEP 3. Compute the lifting Index
object weight (L)
LIFTING INDEX =
RWL
24
ORIGIN: LIFTING INDEX = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓
28.23
24
DESTINATION: LIFTING INDEX = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓
28.25

JOB ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

DEPARTMENT _____________________ JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE _____________________ ________________________________________
ANALYST NAME _____________________ ________________________________________
DATE _____________________
STEP 1. Measure and record task variables
Asymmetric angle Frequency Object
Head Location Vertical
Object weight (degrees) rate coupling
distance
Origin Destination Origin Destination lifts/min
L H V H V D
A A F C
(kg) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm)
24 40 59 40 85 26 45 45 2 0.95
STEP 2. Determine the multipliers and compute the RWL
RWL= LC + HM + VM + DM + AM + FM + CM
ORIGIN RWL = 23kg + 25/40 + [1-(0.003|59-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/26)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL= 28.28 kg
DESTINATION RWL = 23kg + 25/40 + [1-(0.003|85-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/26)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL = 28.30 kg
STEP 3. Compute the lifting Index
object weight (L)
LIFTING INDEX =
RWL
24.5
ORIGIN: LIFTING INDEX = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓
28.28
24.5
DESTINATION: LIFTING INDEX = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓
28.23
 JOB ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
DEPARTMENT _____________________ JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE _____________________ ________________________________________
ANALYST NAME _____________________ ________________________________________
DATE _____________________
STEP 1. Measure and record task variables
Asymmetric angle Frequency Object
Head Location Vertical
Object weight (degrees) rate coupling
distance
Origin Destination Origin Destination lifts/min
L H V H V D
A A F C
(kg) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm) (cm)
22 49 59 44 85 26 45 45 2 0.95
STEP 2. Determine the multipliers and compute the RWL
RWL= LC + HM + VM + DM + AM + FM + CM
ORIGIN RWL = 23kg + 25/44 + [1-(0.003|59-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/26)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL= 28.23 kg
DESTINATION RWL = 23kg + 25/44 + [1-(0.003|85-75|)] + [0.82+(4.5/26)] + 0.86 + 0.91 + 0.95
RWL = 28.25 kg
STEP 3. Compute the lifting Index
object weight (L)
LIFTING INDEX =
RWL
24
ORIGIN: LIFTING INDEX = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓
28.23
24
DESTINATION: LIFTING INDEX = = 𝟎. 𝟖𝟓
28.25