Description / Abstract:
This document describes the assessment methods and physical
requirements associated with the manual handling of carts and
dollies, specific to material handling systems.
All possible designs and applications could not be anticipated
in creating these guidelines. Where there are questions of
adherence to this document, such as use of an "off-the shelf"
design, always consult the responsible Ergonomics Department.
Force guidelines were primarily developed referencing the
push/pull psychophysical Snook data contained in A Guide to
Manual Materials Handling (second edition) by Mital, Nicholson
and Ayoub (NY: Taylor Francis, 1997). The force guidelines
accommodate 75% of female capabilities and 99% of male
capabilities.
Factors that were included in the established guideline include:
push / pull distances, vertical hand height, horizontal hand
height, frequency and wheel / castor alignment and load rating.
These factors were used to develop a conservative force guideline.
The guidelines assume frequent handling of carts / dollies
(handling frequency greater than once per minute) throughout a work
shift. For carts that exceed the force guidelines and do not align
with the assumptions utilized to determine the guidelines within
the document, please contact the appropriate Ergonomic Subject
Matter Expert for a deep dive ergonomic analysis. The deep dive
analysis will account for the differences in the assumptions (i.e.
frequency, push/pull distance, hand height, etc.).