Although forklifts offer many benefits such as reducing manual material handling and enhancing productivity, there are factors that cause Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to the forklift operators, such as severely twisted postures, prolonged sitting and exposure to vibration etc., ultimately leading to low productivity. The main objective of this study is to evaluate different make forklifts in a heavy equipment manufacturing industry (Voltas-diesel, Godrej-diesel, Doosan-diesel, Voltas- electrical and Macneill -electrical) and forklifts with different types of engine (diesel and electrically operated) based on subjective discomfort reported by the forklift operators using Corlett and Bishop’s method of body mapping and Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). Forty four operators aged between 20-58 years driving five different make forklifts were the subjects. Operators working on Godrejdiesel reported more discomfort while operators working on Voltas- electrical reported less discomfort. Operators working on diesel operated forklifts reported higher discomfort compared to electrically operated forklifts but the difference is small. Body part wise analysis revealed that the operators reported the highest level of discomfort at the lower back irrespective of the engine type.

Full text: IJEIR-1308_final.pdf