Maximum strength levels for pulling and pushing handleless cartons in warehousing tasks.

Area of Science:

• Ergonomics and Human Factors
• Biomechanics
• Occupational Safety

Background:

• Understanding biomechanical forces in manual handling is crucial for preventing injuries.
• Previous research on pushing and pulling (FPBP) strength has primarily focused on handled objects.
• Static strength assessments provide baseline data for designing safer work tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify static maximum forward pushing and backward pulling (FPBP) strength for handleless cartons.
• To investigate the influence of exertion height, hand contact type, and carton width on FPBP strength.
• To compare FPBP strength variations under different task conditions.

Main Methods:

• Thirty young Taiwanese men performed maximum exertion tests.
• Four exertion heights (50-140 cm), two contact types (bare hands/gloves), and two carton widths (40/60 cm) were used.
• Static strength measurements were recorded for forward pushing and backward pulling.

Main Results:

• Pushing strength was approximately double the pulling strength across all heights.
• Pulling force increased by 38% with gloves compared to bare hands.
• Pulling force was 13% higher with a 40-cm carton width versus a 60-cm width.
• Only exertion height significantly affected pushing strength.

Conclusions:

• Handleless carton FPBP strength differs from previous findings for handled cartons.
• Pulling strength is a critical factor for task design due to its lower magnitude.
• Wearing gloves and utilizing wider cartons can optimize pulling strength for handleless objects.