Ergonomics Testing Reveals Workers Are Injuring Themselves More Quickly Than Guidelines Suggest

Early findings indicate ISO push/pull standards need to be reevaluated and more testing is needed

Columbus, OHIO (November 19, 2019) – New findings suggest that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) push/pull requirements might not go far enough to protect workers. More testing is needed to better represent real-life situations and in turn, become more effective for injury prevention.

Caster Connection, manufacturer of casters and wheels, collaborated with the Spine Research Institute at The Ohio State University, in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, who together, discovered the importance of replicating authentic movement for injury prevention in push/pull testing.

“Occupationally-related low back disorders and shoulder musculoskeletal disorders are a leading cause of lost work days and are a costly occupational safety and health problem facing a variety of industries,” said Joe Lyden, President of Caster Connection. “These injuries occur because organizations vary in the type of push/pull gauge they’re using – varying test results from one organization to the next.”

Additional findings include:

• In order to be accurate for real-life situations, acceleration in testing should be much higher than ISO guidelines advise
• Workers are injuring themselves more quickly than guidelines suggest and before they even realize it
• Current guidelines do not reflect how people are using carts in real-life situations
• The force required to push a cart differs from the force required to pull a cart and people don’t typically test pulling

The objective of this particular study was to provide recommendations for practitioners in regard to push/pull force assessment that improves the accuracy and precision of hand force estimates, thus making the SRI push/pull guidelines more applicable. More testing is required to determine the gold standard for new guidelines.

For more information about the early findings of the study, visit www.casterconnection.com/research. The study in its entirety will be available online in 2020.

ABOUT CASTER CONNECTION:
Caster Connection is a manufacturer of casters and wheels as well as a master distributor of elite brand casters, wheels and other material handling products. The company was built on the founding principle: “Our Company will work to constantly seek ways to increase the value our clients receive for their investments in casters and wheels and provide solutions that make them successful.” Caster Connection is dedicated to developing the most innovative and optimal solutions in order to deliver enhanced ergonomics, safety, and efficiency for every partner.

Media Contact:
Alexis Marina
614-300-5017
alexis@gebencommunication.com