Manual Material Handling Calculators

Here are the links to two publicly available manual material handling calculators. For further information on this topic, view the archived webinar we presented last week on warehouse ergonomics.

NIOSH – http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/niosh/calculating_rwl.html

Refer to this link to utilize the NIOSH Lifting Equation calculator from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. As long as you have taken the lift factors measurements, this site will allow you to calculate the Recommended Weight Limit by selecting values from drop down menus. The site explains how to measure and collect the lift factors under the Assessing Relevant Handling Factors link displayed on the left column.

Snook & Ciriello Tables – https://www2.worksafebc.com/ppcc/default.htm

The Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia created this site which allows you to calculate the force capability limits for different workforce populations. This site provides a streamlined set-up to find out force limits by guiding the user through a series of pictures and steps.