Dortmund Lumbar Load Study

Status:

completed 10/1999

Aims:

Spine load may be the main cause of intervertebral-disk related diseases in the lumbar segment. Lumbar load quantification for real workplaces and activities is required. Determination of lumbar load for general activities: diverse specific types of lifting, transferring, carrying of objects, transportation via wheelbarrow/wheeled containers, shoveling and force exertions in specific extreme postures.

Activities/Methods:

For determining lumbar load during manual materials handling, knowledge concerning the respective posture and of the forces acting on the body is necessary. These action forces and reaction forces result directly from the known mass of the handled object and the corresponding motion or were measured using force sensors mounted on the object or by applying a force platform. Based on posture and external forces, lumbar load was quantified by biomechanical model calculation (The Dortmunder), and described by various mechanical-load indicators.

Results:

The resulting values for lumbar load in numerous and varying tasks can be used in a modular way to simulate longer activity sections up to total shifts with respect to the individual activity profile. Thereby, quantitative evaluation of cumulative effects of task sequences is possible.

Publications:

Jäger, M.; Jordan, C.; Theilmeier, A.; Luttmann, A.: Ermittlung und Beurteilung vergleichbarer Teiltätigkeiten hinsichtlich der Körperhaltung und der Wirbelsäulenbelastung bei verschiedenen beruflichen Tätigkeiten (Dortmunder Lumbalbelastungsstudie 2). Schriftenreihe 3/2001 des Hauptverbandes der gewerblichen Berufsgenossenschaften (HVBG), Sankt Augustin 2001

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