The muscular load on the lower back and shoulders due to lifting at different lifting heights and frequencies

The aim of the study was to investigate the muscular load on the lower back and shoulders and the circulatory load on employees at a post center during repetitive lifting of mail transport boxes. A mock-up was designed in the laboratory, a total of nine combinations of lifting height and frequency were studied. Surface EMG was recorded bisymmetrically from m. erector spinae (L3-level) and m. trapezius. The circulatory load was evaluated by measuring the heart rate. The results show a trade off between the low back and shoulders. The maximum load on the low back occurred at the low lifting height (36.3 and 54.4 cm) whereas the maximum load on the shoulders occurred at the high lifting height (144.9 and 163.0 cm).