Training for lifting; an unresolved ergonomic issue?
The paper describes a nine year project on lifting training which included nine trans-Australia consensus conferences attended by more than 900 health professionals. Major outcomes were: (1) The essence of lifting work is the need for the performer to cope with variability in task, environment, and self, and the essence of lifting skill is therefore adaptability; (2) the semi-squat approach provides the safest and most effective basis for lifting training; (3) for lifting training to be effective, the basic principles of skill learning must be systematically applied, with adaptability as a specific goal; (4) physical work capacity (aerobic power, strength, endurance, joint mobility) is a decisive ingredient of safe and effective lifting and, in addition to skill learning, should be incorporated in the training of people engaging regularly in heavy manual work; (5) if effective compliance with recommended skilled behaviour is to be achieved, then training must apply the principles and methods appropriate to adult learning and behaviour modification.
Institute for Fitness Research and Training Inc., North Adelaide, South Australia.
A W
AW
Sedgwick
J T
JT
Gormley
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006804:Ergonomics; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D009142:Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; D011187:Posture