Characteristics of Hazardous Manual Tasks Force is the amount of muscular effort required to perform a movement or task. Forceful muscular exertions overload muscles, tendons, joints and discs and are associated with most MSDs. Repetitive force - using Examples of repetitive force include: Figure 1 force repeatedly over a lifting and stacking goods onto a pallet period of time to move or gripping and handling bricks when support an object bricklaying (Figure 1) repetitively pressing components with the thumbs or other part of the hand to assemble an item prolonged application of therapeutic massage treatments removing splinting material from patients using shears. Sustained force - occurs Figure 2 Examples of sustained force include: when force is applied pushing or pulling a trolley around hospital continually over a period of wards (Figure 2) time. holding down a trigger to operate a power tool supporting a plaster sheet while fixing it to a ceiling carrying objects over long distances supporting, positioning or stabilising a patient’s limb during surgery or when applying splinting or casting material High force – may be exerted Examples of high force include: Figure 3 by the back, arm or leg Lifting, lowering or carrying a heavy object muscles or by the hands Lifting, lowering or carrying an object that and fingers. cannot be positioned close to the body High force occurs in any pushing or pulling an object that is hard to tasks that: move or stop a worker describes as very restraining a person or animal. (Figure 3) demanding physically a worker needs help to do because of the effort it requires require a stronger person or two persons to do the task. Examples of high force using the hands and Figure 4 fingers include: using a finger-grip, a pinch-grip or an open- handed grip to handle a heavy or large load operating hand tools with tight squeeze grips (Figure 4) gripping small instruments with high force, for example, a dental hygienist cleaning teeth.
Characteristics of Hazardous Manual Tasks Force is the amount of muscular effort required to perform a movement or task. Forceful muscular exertions overload muscles, tendons, joints and discs and are associated with most MSDs. Repetitive force - using force repeatedly over a period of time to move or support an object Examples of repetitive force include: lifting and stacking goods onto a pallet gripping and handling bricks when bricklaying (Figure 1) repetitively pressing components with the thumbs or other part of the hand to assemble an item prolonged application of therapeutic massage treatments removing splinting material from patients using shears. Figure 1 Sustained force - occurs when force is applied continually over a period of time. Examples of sustained force include: pushing or pulling a trolley around hospital wards (Figure 2) holding down a trigger to operate a power tool supporting a plaster sheet while fixing it to a ceiling carrying objects over long distances supporting, positioning or stabilising a patient’s limb during surgery or when applying splinting or casting material Figure 2 High force – may be exerted by the back, arm or leg muscles or by the hands and fingers. High force occurs in any tasks that: a worker describes as very demanding physically a worker needs help to do because of the effort it requires require a stronger person or two persons to do the task. Examples of high force include: Lifting, lowering or carrying a heavy object Lifting, lowering or carrying an object that cannot be positioned close to the body pushing or pulling an object that is hard to move or stop restraining a person or animal. (Figure 3) Figure 3 Examples of high force using the hands and fingers include: using a finger-grip, a pinch-grip or an open- handed grip to handle a heavy or large load operating hand tools with tight squeeze grips (Figure 4) gripping small instruments with high force, for example, a dental hygienist cleaning teeth. Figure 4
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