Revolutionizing ​Trough Handling ​for Safety and ​Efficiency

The challenge

How do you transform manual trough handling, which is a ​labour-intensive and often hazardous task, into an efficient ​and safer process? In the current landscape, manual ​handling aids either add weight to an already heavy task or ​are less productive than unassisted handling. This issue is ​significant:

Prevalence of Back Pain Among Civil Engineers:

Approx 60% of civil engineers suffer from lower back pain, ​largely due to the strains of handling troughs.

Spinal Load During Lifting:

Lifting a 76kg trough, typically a two-person job, can impose ​spinal loads as high as 1,600 lbs, especially impacting the ​lumbar region.

Risk Assessment by MAC Tool:

The Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) Tool ​reveals high-risk scores in several aspects of trough ​handling:

Lift Score: 19

Carry Score: 22

Team Lift Score: 30

These scores highlight the urgent need for improvements ​in:

• Reducing hand distance from the lower back.
• Avoiding positions where hands are at or below floor ​level.
• Preventing torso from twisting and bending sideways.
• Enhancing grip on the load.

The solution

Introducing our revolutionary trough-handling device: safe, lightweight, and robust. It ​ensures users maintain an anatomically neutral posture during lifting, manoeuvring, ​and installation, blending ergonomic design with efficiency.

The evidence

• Significantly Reduces Lumbar Spine Load:
  
• Cuts down the load on the lumbar spine by 66%.
  
• Improved MAC Tool Scores:
  
• Achieves scores of Lift = 8,
  
• Carry = 14,
  
• Team = 15
  
• Prevents Crush Injuries and Forearm Tendinitis:
  
• Positions hands in a neutral grip
  
• Enhances Safety:
  
• Allows users to walk forward, decreasing the chances ​of slips and trips.
  
• More Efficient Than Manual Handling:
  
• Outperforms manual handling of troughs and lids in ​terms of efficiency.
  
• Self-Adjusting Cams:
  
• Facilitates handling various thicknesses without ​needing to adjust the tool.