Physiological Reactions of Push/Pull Exertion Mechanisms Demands on Workers for MMH Tasks in the Work Environment

Abstract

Manual Material Handling (MMH) tasks entail the physical
application of considerable force to overcome a particular load or
cumulative loads due to the heaviness during a workday. The push
or/and pull forces engaged in MMH for goods transportation vary
in the interaction the workers’ has with the object being handled.
The load mass conveyance activity is maximal in the work-inprogress due to the series and sequence processes involved. This
study comparatively examined the effect of pull and push
mechanisms during MMH tasks on the internal body function of the
workers. The isokinetic technique used involved a load mass of
200kg conveyed through a distance of 400m. The data collection
tools were a digital sphygmomanometer of model Omron M2 and a
portable medGem device for internal body function; a digital
professional (LCD) stopwatch (model PC-396) for the work
process timing. The paired t-test data analysis showed that the
duration for the MMH task through the distance using pull exertion
mechanisms was significantly less than the push force at p< 0.05.
This study also demonstrated a higher demand on internal body
function variables using push exertion mechanism when compared
to pull forces (p< 0.05).