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Seeking a way to reduce overexertion
from manual materials handling, the leading cause of injury to
U.S. workers in the 1960s, Liberty Mutual pioneered several areas
of ergonomic research, many of which helped form the basis of
the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
safe-lifting criteria.
Through this internationally recognized work, Liberty Mutual researchers
created the “group work capacity” concept—the
maximum acceptable weights and forces workers can lift, lower,
push, pull or carry without excessive fatigue. This innovative
concept created a new approach to injury prevention, enabling
companies to design tasks that could be performed by 75 percent
or more of female workers without overexertion.
Low-back pain was another area of research that benefited from
Liberty Mutual’s unique approach. Liberty Mutual researchers’
findings proved that investing in ergonomic control measures—such
as changing the weight or configuration of loads, lift tables,
conveyor systems and forklift trucks— decreased injuries
and resulting disabilities and increased productivity, showing
companies that safe work practices can have a significant impact
on profitability.
In the 1980s, Liberty Mutual broke
new ground in cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) research, collecting
data from subjects performing actual work in the laboratory that
simulated light assembly work, manual screw driving, hand grip
from using pliers and knife cutting tasks. This contributed to
establishing maximum acceptable forces for repetitive wrist motion,
selected wrist postures and grip. Today, Liberty Mutual remains
a leader in ergonomics research and continues to receive requests
from all over the world for its ergonomic research findings.
Copyright ©2009 Liberty
Mutual. All rights reserved. |
