Key Indicator Method - Pushing/Pulling (KIM-PP)

Developed by:  Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin [Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]

Description: A two-page pdf  that computes a numerical risk score for a pushing or pulling task at work. It assigns points to the object’s weight, what it’s being pushed or pulled on, the distance and frequency it’s being pushed or pulled, the worker’s posture, how precisely the worker has to position the object, and environmental conditions of the workplace. These points are totalled on a scoresheet to assign a single number to the pushing or pulling task, which places the task in one of four risk categories. Outcomes are not specific to a joint or specific MSD, but rather intended to give an overall impression of a task; the scoring methods lets the user see what factors contributed the most points towards the overall scores. There is an extra multiplier to account for female workers.

Keywords: pushing, pulling, risk, posture, weight, distance, frequency, rolling, sliding, reach