Pushing and pulling assessment
A separate module is planned for work that moves a load without lifting it: the force needed to set a wheeled load in motion, the force needed to keep it moving, and the floor, slope, distance and equipment condition that determine those forces are held in a single record.
This page is written for the safety practitioner, logistics and warehouse manager who wants work with trolleys, pallet trucks, cages and wheeled containers put on record.
Scope of the module
- Task identityWhat is pushed or pulled, with which carrier, from where to where, how many times per shift. The length of the route, its slope, the floor covering and whether there are turns or thresholds sit in the same record.
- Two separate forcesThe force to start the movement and the force to sustain it are separate fields; for the same job the two can differ widely. The value read from the gauge is recorded together with the point and direction at which it was taken.
- The equipment itselfThe type of carrier, its handle height, wheel diameter and condition and its last maintenance record are attached to the task record. The same load on the same route demands a completely different force from a trolley with a damaged wheel.
- Form setFilling in push and pull assessment forms published by official authorities from inside the module is part of the planned scope: the HSE risk assessment tool for pushing and pulling and the push-pull form of the BAuA key indicator method.
- Correction and repeat measurementWhen the floor, the wheels, the route or the load changes, the same task is measured again; the two measurements sit side by side and which change lowered the force is read from the record.
Why force is measured rather than kilograms
This section describes the question the module puts on record.
In pushing and pulling, what loads the worker's body is not the weight of the load but the force applied between hand and carrier to move it. A two hundred kilogram cage may roll easily on a flat floor with sound wheels, while a broken wheel or a threshold can make the same cage impossible to move.
So the record puts force next to weight, and next to force the conditions that produce it: floor, slope, distance, turns, the height of the grip, visibility and the condition of the carrier.
In the field literature, acceptable push and pull loads are read from tables that ask what share of the population could do the job without overexertion, and from observation-based scoring tools. The planned scope of the module is to record the measurement and the conditions under which it was taken.
Routes that are open today
Until the module ships, the framework of the subject can be taken from the free references on this site.
- Ergonomic risk assessment guideThe step order that shows how posture, force, repetition and duration are handled together.
- How musculoskeletal risk is assessedThe short answer on why force alone is not a sufficient measure.
- Work equipment periodic inspectionMaintenance and inspection records for the carrier are the item that directly determines push and pull forces.
- Manual lifting limit calculatorIf the same task also involves picking the load off the floor, the lifting side can be measured free today.
What this module does not cover
Operating powered industrial trucks, operator authorisation and their periodic inspection are not the subject of this page; those sit on the equipment and training side.
Picking a load off the floor and setting it down belongs to manual handling assessment, and posture and repetition to posture assessment. This page is limited to moving a wheeled load.
What this page says and does not say
What is open today is the framework of the subject: the guide and answer pages are readable without an account.
Which route do you want measured
Describe the pushing and pulling work in your warehouse or on your line; this feedback feeds the order of the roadmap.
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