9. Repetitive Grasping of Materials

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9. Repetitive Grasping of Materials
essential tips

• Minimize pinch gripping of materials
• Use your body efficiently to handle materials
• Slide rather than grasp materials

Two inch file 4 pound brick
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Repetitive Gripping / Graspingminimize pinch
Pinch grip position
Downward forces
Repetitive pinch gripping is a known risk factor
for developing hand, wrist and elbow disorders.
The muscle/tendon structures of the hands
(fingers and thumbs) are not well suited for
grasping an object with only the fingertips,
particularly when it is heavy and awkward.
Grasping and twisting motions are often required
to handle and shelve books and files, which can
also put stress on the elbows. Consider, when
holding a file folder most of the load is a
distance from the point of grip (fulcrum), which
requires greater forces to be exerted. Added grip
forces are required to create enough friction to
overcome the slippery and unstable
characteristics of paper (floppy). Be aware, a
2-inch thick file folder or binder weighs about
4.4 pounds- the exact weight of a masonry brick.
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Repetitive Gripping / Graspingminimize pinch
gripping
Okay!
Avoid!
Okay!
When possible, try to grasp heavy or large paper
materials with 2 hands at the center to create a
balanced load. Or, grasp the item with a full
hand rather than with the fingertips to reduce
the torque of the load. Rubber gloves or rubber
fingertips can be helpful in creating better
friction between your hand and the paper material
to reduce grip forces.
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Repetitive Gripping / Graspingminimize pinch
gripping
Particularly thick or heavy items such as reams
of copy paper or fat files should be stored
flat on shelves so they can be grasped with 2
hands. Ideally, such bulky items should be
placed at heights below the shoulders and above
the waist to minimize loads on the shoulders
and/or spine.
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Repetitive Gripping / Graspingusing an
efficient handshake wrist posture
Smaller and lighter items such as file folders,
manuals and thin binders should be stored on
shelves vertically so they can be grasped with a
full-hand grip and with a neutral wrist posture
that resembles a handshake position. This
puts much less stress on the hand and
wrist. Always leave a few inches or so of open
space on shelves to allow clearance to get your
fingers between materials.
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Repetitive Gripping / Graspingsliding rather
than grasping materials
If your work involves repetitive grasping of
files or paperwork, You might want to set up
your workstation so you can slide materials
rather than grasping every item from a file or
shelf.
Using a side table to sort, stage and slide
materials
Ergo Fun Fact A design guide for the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) suggests that a work
setting for people who must repetitively grasp
materials should be designed with the notion that
the workers have no thumbs. That is, if workers
had no thumbs they would have no ability to
pinch grip materials and they would have to rake
and slide materials. Try duct taping your thumbs
to your palms and doing your job without gripping.
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Repetitive Gripping / Graspingsliding rather
than grasping materials
If your work involves a lot of gripping,
grasping, sorting and transporting materials, try
using surfaces and shelving that would allow you
to slide materials rather than grasp and handle
them. Also try to use mobile carts or mobile
tables to assist you in moving materials to
reduce lifting and handling whenever possible.