Objective:

To analyze the effects of vertical height and lifting frequency on the physiological response in workers during lifting of loads.

Methods:

Factorial experimental design with blocks, considering vertical height and lifting frequency as independent variables; the dependent variable was defined as the heart rate. The experiment was conducted in 20 workers between the ages of 18 and 40 years with at least six months of experience in warehouse and packaging tasks at a dairy products company. We calculated the FRIMAT coefficient to determine the physiological load of the task.

Results:

We found a significant effect on the heart rate response due to the interaction of the rate and the vertical height of the lift. Based on the FRIMAT coefficient, we obtained a rating of “minimal workload” for 85% of the treatments; for one treatment there was a rating of “somewhat difficult.”

Conclusions:

Height and frequency of lift do not act separately and have an effect on the physiological load of the worker during manual lifting, reflected by changes in the heart rate.

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