ABSTRACT
Gas cylinders need to be sorted, emptied, cleaned, checked and refilled before they can be packed and ready for delivery on a gas plant. Although advancements in technology have introduced mechanised equipment to many steps within this process, operators continue to play a key role in tasks which involve lifting, pulling and repetitive movement. Ranging from small hand-held bottles of 2 kg to aboveshoulder height cylinders of 100 kg, gas cylinders vary in dimensions and design.
Manual handling is one of the risk factors of Work-related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (WMSDs) (HSE, 2004). Lifting, pulling and carrying cylinders with (or without) the use of assistive equipment are part of the cylinder handling process (BCGA GN3, 2010). Although there are no studies on MSD prevalence with poor work postures in the gas industry, studies on similar industries in production work reported a high frequency of low back pain (Landau et al., 2008). Low loads can be as physically strenuous as a high load especially in the presence of high repetitions in awkward positions (Carey and Gallwey, 2002).
