NIOSH Lifting Equation
RWL and Lifting Index per the public NIOSH 1991 multipliers.
Example
You enter
- Load weight (lb) 30
- Horizontal distance H (in) 12
- Origin height V (in) 30
- Vertical travel D (in) 20
- Lifts per minute 1
- Duration (hr) 1
- Coupling good
You get
- RWL 36.4 lb
- Lifting Index 0.83
Checked against published worked examples from: NIOSH.
Details, formula, and sources
Formula or tableRWL = LC × HM × VM × DM × AM × FM × CM. LC (load constant) = 51 lb. Lifting Index LI = weight / RWL; LI > 1 indicates risk.
Source and editionNIOSH 'Applications Manual for the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation' (DHHS Publication No. 94-110, 1994) by name.
Free accessFree at cdc.gov/niosh/docs/94-110.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field namesweight_lb, H_in, V_in, D_in, frequency_per_min, duration_hr, coupling, RWL_lb, LI
- Coupling-multiplier table data/crosswalks/niosh-coupling.jsonNIOSH Applications Manual
- Load constant 51 lbNIOSH 1991