Application of the NIOSH lifting equation in the activity for manual fertilization of eucalyptus plantations in mountain regions, Brazil

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-NIOSH, in the United States, developed an equation to assess the limits of manual lifting of loads. The equation objectives are diagnose the risk of musculoskeletal disorders related with the load lifted by the worker and to indicate an adequate load limit for each activity, in a way that a certain percentage of the population could perform their task without risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (NIOSH, 1994).