ANNEX I9REFERENCE FACTORS
(Article 3 (2), Article 4 (a) and (b) and Article 6 (2))
1.Characteristics of the load
The manual handling of a load may present a risk particularly of back injury if it is:
too heavy or too large,
unwieldy or difficult to grasp,
unstable or has contents likely to shift,
positioned in a manner requiring it to be held or manipulated at a distance from the trunk, or with a bending or twisting of the trunk,
likely, because of its contours and/or consistency, to result in injury to workers, particularly in the event of a collision.
2.Physical effort required
A physical effort may present a risk particularly of back injury if it is:
too strenuous,
only achieved by a twisting movement of the trunk,
likely to result in a sudden movement of the load,
made with the body in an unstable posture.
3.Characteristics of the working environment
The characteristics of the work environment may increase a risk particularly of back injury if:
there is not enough room, in particular vertically, to carry out the activity,
the floor is uneven, thus presenting tripping hazards, or is slippery in relation to the worker's footwear,
the place of work or the working environment prevents the handling of loads at a safe height or with good posture by the worker,
there are variations in the level of the floor or the working surface, requiring the load to be manipulated on different levels,
the floor or foot rest is unstable,
the temperature, humidity or ventilation is unsuitable.
4.Requirements of the activity
The activity may present a risk particularly of back injury if it entails one or more of the following requirements:
over-frequent or over-prolonged physical effort involving in particular the spine,
an insufficient bodily rest or recovery period,
excessive lifting, lowering or carrying distances,
a rate of work imposed by a process which cannot be altered by the worker.