Manual Handling Risk Calculator

NIOSH lifting equation revised weight limit.

Load weight (kg)

Horizontal distance (cm)

Vertical location (cm)

Lifts per minute

Asymmetry angle (degrees)

Tab to move between fields

Lifting Index

0.98

Recommended Weight Limit (kg)20.5

Risk level (1-3)1

Max safe weight (kg)20.5

Weight to reduce (kg)0

How to Use This Calculator

Enter load weight (kg), horizontal distance (cm) from body to load, and vertical location (cm) at lift origin.
Enter lift frequency (lifts/minute), asymmetry angle (degrees), and any coupling quality.
Read the Recommended Weight Limit (RWL) from the NIOSH Lifting Equation.
Calculate the Lifting Index (LI) = load weight / RWL: LI > 1 indicates elevated injury risk.
Use multiplier values to identify which task factor (frequency, asymmetry, coupling) drives the highest risk.

How the result changes with Load weight (kg)

Load weight (kg): Weight of the object being lifted.
Horizontal distance (cm): Horizontal distance from mid-point of hand grip to mid-point between ankles.
Vertical location (cm): Height of hands at origin of lift (75cm = knuckle height).
Lifts per minute: Average number of lifts per minute.
Asymmetry angle (degrees): Angular displacement of load from mid-sagittal plane.

Lifting Index: LI = Load/RWL. Values >1.0 indicate increased risk.
Recommended Weight Limit (kg): Maximum safe weight for this lifting task.
Risk level (1-3): 1=acceptable (LI<=1), 2=increased (1-3), 3=unacceptable (>3).
Max safe weight (kg): Maximum load weight to keep LI at or below 1.0.
Weight to reduce (kg): Load reduction needed to bring LI to acceptable levels.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Load weight (kg) = 20, Horizontal distance (cm) = 25, Vertical location (cm) = 75, Lifts per minute = 1 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Lifting Index
Lifting Index
0.98 = 0.98
Calculate Recommended Weight Limit
Recommended Weight Limit
20.5 = 20.5
Calculate Risk level
Risk level
1 = 1