EFFECTS OF WORK CHANGES AND TRAINING IN LIFTING TECHNIQUE ON PHYSICALSTRAIN - A PILOT-STUDY AMONG FEMALE WORKERS OF DIFFERENT AGES

A production line in a food factory was reorganized, which included a change-over to new bigger plastic cases. The change affected a large n umber of workers, store workers among others. In the present pilot stu dy, 21 female store workers aged between 19 and 54 years were investig ated. The first part of the study aimed al analyzing the effects of th e production change on physical strain, whereas the second part aimed at analyzing the effects of a training program in manual material hand ling on the physical strain. There were only small changes in physical strain after the production change. However, after the training progr am, the workers used their legs more than before when handling goods, although no statistically significant differences occurred in back pos tures and perceived strain. The results suggest that the production ch ange did not change the workload and furthermore, that the store worke rs used their bodies more efficiently after the training program. Ther e were no indications that the individual changes in physical strain w ere dependent on age, neither after the reorganization nor after the t raining in lifting technique.