Development and ergonomic evaluation of polypropylene laminated bags with carrying handles

摘要

The idea for this study came from the research findings which show that the maximum acceptable weight of lift for boxes without handles was significantly lower than that for boxes with handles (Hum. Factors 22 (1980) 487). A polypropylene (PP) laminated bag with carrying handles was developed to increase safety and decrease physical stress. A physiological and psychophysical approach as well as subjective ratings were applied to evaluate the effects of handles on the aforementioned PP laminated bag. A statistical analysis showed that the VO{sub}2, heart rate and Borg-rating of perceived exertion scores for a PP laminated hag with carrying handles were relatively lower than those for bags without handles. Moreover, the maximum acceptable lifting endurance time for bags with handles was relatively higher than that for bags without handles. It is thus recommended that various kinds of bags and boxes have handles to reduce musculoskeletal, physiological, psychophysical and subjective perceptional stresses.