ABSTRACT
He also demonstrated through a set of in-plant field studies that mismatches between the strength of a person and the requirements of manual tasks can result in an eightfold risk of injury to the person’s musculoskeletal system. These early epidemiological studies with Gary Herrin, W. Monroe Keyserling, and others at Michigan, provided the basis for many industry policies on how people should be selected and placed on heavy exertion jobs to prevent injuries. This work was recognized by the American Occupational Medical Association in 1974 with the Kramer Award. Later in the 1970s he and his associates were able systematically to strength test over 3000 men and women in various companies. The resulting worker population strength database is perhaps the largest in the world. Concurrently, he has pioneered the development of computerized torso biomechanical models to predict the stress on the lumbar spinal motion segments when a person lifts or pushes heavy loads. His population strength data and associated biomechanical models served as one of the primary references for a US national lifting guideline, which describes the conditions under which people can lift a given amount of weight in industry. This guideline was published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 1981.
