Lifting advisor
In Lifting mode, the Results Advisor reviews the NIOSH indices for the defined tasks and the overall assessment result. It uses the temporal organization entered in the general settings, compares assessment blocks, and presents the result for the determining block or blocks. It also summarizes how many tasks are within the recommended limit, how many require review, and which require priority review.
To use it, activate Lifting mode, define the tasks, their conditions, and the temporal organization, and select ADVISOR. Then select Analyze lifting tasks. If results are already available, the control is labeled Update analysis.
| No. | Element | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Analyze or update | Reads the NIOSH results or repeats the analysis after the tasks, temporal organization, or options change. |
| 2 | Tasks analyzed | Number of tasks with a valid Lifting Index available for assessment. |
| 3 | Acceptable tasks | Number of tasks whose Lifting Index is 1 or lower. |
| 4 | Tasks at Warning level | Number of tasks whose Lifting Index is above 1 and below 3. |
| 5 | Tasks at Risk level | Number of tasks whose index is 3 or higher, or whose result is infinite. |
| 6 | Overall assessment | Summarizes the tasks analyzed, identifies the determining block or blocks, and indicates the results on which the review should focus. |
| 7 | Relevant NIOSH results | Displays the overall result and the tasks that reach the Warning or Risk level. |
| 8 | Result type | Distinguishes the overall NIOSH result from the result for a specific task. |
| 9 | Level | Classifies the result as Warning or Risk. |
| 10 | Explanation | Briefly explains the level reached. For the overall assessment, it identifies the determining block; for tasks, it identifies the evaluated endpoint when available. |
| 11 | Main findings | Displays the Lifting Index or Composite Lifting Index for the determining block that supports the result. |
Task summary
Under Tasks analyzed, the advisor includes only tasks for which a NIOSH index is available. The interface distributes them among three groups:
- Acceptable tasks: the index is 1 or lower and is within the recommended limit.
- Warnings: the index is above 1 and below 3; these tasks exceed the recommended limit and require review.
- Risks: the index is 3 or higher, or the result is infinite; these tasks have high demands and require priority review.
The label Acceptable tasks identifies the group used by the interface. It does not mean that the result guarantees the absence of risk, only that the calculated index does not exceed the recommended limit.
Tasks under Acceptable tasks are counted in the summary but not displayed individually among the relevant results. If all tasks are in this group and the overall result does not require review, the advisor reports this and does not generate result cards.
Temporal organization and determining block
Ergoniza Intelligent groups lifting periods into assessment blocks according to their duration and the recovery periods between them. Each block is calculated separately and its results are compared with the others.
The block with the least favorable index is identified as the determining block. Its Lifting Index (LI) in a single-task analysis, or its Composite Lifting Index (CLI) in a multitask analysis, establishes the overall result displayed by the advisor. Results from other blocks are retained for review but are neither added nor averaged.
The overall assessment identifies the number of the determining block, the periods it contains, its lifting minutes, and its duration category. If several blocks reach the same maximum result, all are considered determining blocks and are identified in the assessment.
The temporal organization cannot be assessed with the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation when a block accumulates more than eight hours of lifting or when the sequence’s total elapsed time—lifting plus recovery—exceeds eight hours. In this case, no determining block or valid overall NIOSH result can be established.
Overall assessment
Assessment 6 summarizes the distribution of tasks among the Acceptable, Warning, and Risk levels. It also identifies the determining block or blocks and displays the LI or CLI that establishes the overall result. When relevant results exist, it directs the review toward the overall result or the tasks with the highest indices.
In a single-task analysis, the overall result uses the Lifting Index for the determining block. When several tasks are analyzed, an overall result for the task set uses the determining block’s Composite Lifting Index as its main finding. This result is presented independently of the cards for individual tasks.
The CLI can reach the Risk level even if no individual task is classified at that level. In this case, the assessment states this explicitly so that the combined result is not obscured by the classification of individual tasks.
Relevant NIOSH results
Results are ordered by relevance and can correspond to:
- the overall result for the set of tasks;
- a specific lifting task whose index reaches the Warning or Risk level.
Each card displays the result type, level, a brief explanation, and the value supporting the classification. Task cards correspond to the result calculated for the determining block.
When significant control of the load is required at the destination, a task’s explanation identifies the less favorable endpoint between origin and destination. If such control is not required, the task result is determined from the origin, although the destination remains part of the movement description.
Lifting mode does not provide filters by criterion or body region because the assessment is based specifically on the NIOSH results for the defined tasks.
If the weight, frequency, coupling, origin, destination, significant-control setting at the destination, temporal organization, period duration or order, recovery periods, or any other data used in the assessment changes, the advisor marks its results as out of date. Select Update analysis to read and rank the current results again.