Effects of bos features on spine loading during warehouse order selecting

Low back disorders in distribution centres or warehouses have been identifi ed as an area of elevated risk in many industries. The task of an order sel ector requires workers manually to lift boxes from storage bins to a mobile pallet. This study explored the effect of box features and box location wh en lifting from a pallet in a storage bin upon spine lending. Ten experienc ed warehouse workers were asked to lift boxes from a pellet while the sizer weight, handle features and location of the box on a pallet were changed. An EMG-assisted model was employed to assess spine compression, lateral she ar and anterior-posterior shear during the lifts. The position from which t he worker lifted a box on a pallet had the most profound effect on spine lo ading while the lower level of the pallet represented the greatest loadings on the spine. Box weight did not appear to be a feasible means of controll ing spine loading unless its position on the pallet could also be controlle d. The inclusion of handles had an effect similar to reducing the box weigh t by 4.5 kg, whereas box size did not effectively affect spine loading. The mechanisms by which these factors affect spine loading are discussed.