Difference between male and female workers lifting the same relative load when palletizing boxes

Auteurs

André Plamondon, IRSSTFollow
Christian Larivière, IRSSTFollow
Denys Denis, IRSSTFollow
Hakim Mecheri, IRSSTFollow
Iuliana Nastasia, IRSSTFollow

Type de document

Études primaires

Année de publication

2017

Langue

Anglais

Titre de la revue

Applied Ergonomics

Première page

93

Dernière page

102

Résumé

A few biomechanical studies have contrasted the work techniques of female and male workers during manual material handling (MMH). A recent study showed that female workers differed from males mostly in the strategy they used to lift 15-kg boxes from the ground, especially regarding task duration, knee and back postures and interjoint coordination. However, the lifting technique difference observed in females compared to males was perhaps due to a strength differences. The objective of this study was to test whether female workers would repeat the same lifting technique with a load adjusted to their overall strength (females: 10 kg; males: 15 kg), which can be considered a “relative load” since the overall back strength of females is 2/3 that of males. The task for the participants consisted in transferring boxes from one pallet to another. A dynamic 3D linked segment model was used to estimate the net moments at L5/S1, and different kinematic variables were considered. The results showed that the biomechanics of the lifting techniques used by males and females were similar in terms of task duration and cumulative loading, but different in terms of interjoint coordination pattern. The sequential interjoint coordination pattern previously seen in females with an absolute load (15 kg) was still present with the relative load, suggesting the influence of factors more intrinsically linked to sex. Considering that the female coordination pattern likely stretched posterior passive tissues when lifting boxes from the ground, potentially leading to higher risk of injury, the reason for this sex effect must be identified so that preventive interventions can be proposed.

Mots-clés

Manutention manuelle, Manual handling, Différence liée au sexe, Gender difference, Soulèvement des charges, Manual lifting, Poids maximal des charges à porter, Maximum acceptable weight of lift, Colonne vertébrale, Spinal column, Mécanique humaine, Body mechanics, Lésion du tronc, Trunk injury, Affection dorsale, Back disorder, Maux de dos, Backache

Numéro de projet IRSST

0099-8020

Citation recommandée

Plamondon, A., Larivière, C., Denis, D., Mecheri, H. et Nastasia, I. (2017). Difference between male and female workers lifting the same relative load when palletizing boxes. Applied Ergonomics, 60, 93-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.10.014