The Importance of Lifting Height and Load Mass for Muscular Workload during Supermarket Stocking: Cross-Sectional Field Study

Sebastian Venge Skovlund, Rúni Bláfoss, Sebastian Skals, Markus Due Jakobsen and Lars Louis Andersen
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Sebastian Venge Skovlund: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Rúni Bláfoss: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Sebastian Skals: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Markus Due Jakobsen: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Lars Louis Andersen: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: High physical work demands increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and sickness absence. Supermarket work involves a high amount of manual material handling. Identifying specific ergonomic risk factors is an important part of occupational health and safety efforts in the supermarket sector. In this cross-sectional field study among 64 supermarket workers, we used electromyography during the workday to determine the influence of lifting height and load mass on muscular workload of the low-back and neck/shoulder muscles during un-restricted manual material handling (grocery stocking). We found a significant effect of load mass, i.e., higher loads associated with higher muscular workload in the low-back and neck/shoulder muscles. We demonstrated a significant interaction between start and end position, i.e., lifts performed from ‘Low’ start positions to ‘High’ end positions demonstrated the highest low-back muscular workload, whereas ‘High’ positions were associated with increased neck/shoulder workload. In conclusion, lifting higher loads and lifting goods from low to high positions (low-back) and at high positions (neck/shoulder) are associated with higher muscular workload. These results can be used to guide highly warranted preventive initiatives to reduce the physical workload during supermarket work.

Keywords: musculoskeletal diseases; manual material handling; grocery stores; lifting; EMG; retail industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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