Maximum weight limits

In Queenland there is no maximum permissible limit (MPL) for lifting tasks. This is because there is great variability in the nature of the load being lifted, the height at which it is being handled, the location and work environment as well as the individual characteristics of the worker. Sliding a 40 kg load on a flat smooth steel surface will present no problem to most workers; however, lifting a 40 kg load out of a car boot presents a significant hazard to most people. It is therefore essential to assess the risk of manual tasks whenever one or more of the direct risk factors such as forceful exertion, awkward postures, repetition or vibration, are present.

There has been some work done on the lifting capacity of people in the workforce by Mital, Nicholson and Ayoub (A Guide to Manual Handling published by Taylor and Francis, 1997). For example they got workers to lift a 75cm box with two hands from the floor to a height of 80 centimeters. They found that:

10 percent of male workers had the capacity to lift 27kg safely once every 5 minutes, but they could only lift 14.5 kg if asked to do so 16 times per minute.
90 percent of male workers were able to lift 14 kg every 5 minutes but could only lift 4.5 kg safely if asked to do so 16 times per minute.

As you can see there is a lot of variation in workers. In general, older male workers will have a lower lifting capacity compared with younger men in their early thirties. Therefore, when designing jobs, you need to design for the majority of workers doing that task.

Rather than relying on administrative controls, which should be seen as an adjunct to controlling the risk of manual tasks, always ask yourself: does this item/object/person have to be manually handled? Always look for a design control as your first option whenever possible, as administrative controls place too much reliance on the behaviour of individuals.

Design (engineering) controls include:

mechanising the job
providing mechanical handling equipment
modifying handling methods and the work area
redesigning loads and tasks.

Administrative controls include:

changing the task order
rotating jobs
providing rest breaks
introducing maintenance programs for equipment
training and supervising workers.

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