by Wan Yu Kwan. / Thesis submitted in: December 1999. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-125). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement --- p.2 / Abstract --- p.3 / Table of Contents --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter 1 - --- Introduction --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1 --- Contribution of lifting techniques on risk assessment and training on manual materials handling --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2 --- Objectives --- p.12 / Chapter 1.3 --- Hypotheses --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4 --- Significance of Study --- p.13 / Chapter Chapter 2 - --- Literature Review --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1 --- Societal concerns on employee compensation --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2 --- Etiology of low back injury --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Compression forces on vertebral joints --- p.16 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Shear forces on vertebral joints --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3 --- Lifting techniques --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Effect of lifting techniques on curvature of the spine --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Importance of leg muscles in manual lifting --- p.22 / Chapter 2.4 --- Prediction of low back injury in manual lifting --- p.24 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Compression forces and moments --- p.26 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Balance control --- p.29 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Application of Surface electromyography in ergonomics --- p.31 / Chapter Chapter 3 - --- Method --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1 --- Subject recruitment --- p.34 / Chapter 3.2 --- Equipment --- p.35 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Force platform --- p.35 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Motion analysis system --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Surface electromyography --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3 --- Maximum voluntary contraction test --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- MVC of vastus medialis --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- MVC of medial gastrocnemius --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- MVC of erector spinae --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4 --- Lifting techniques --- p.44 / Chapter 3.5 --- Experimental procedures --- p.48 / Chapter 3.6 --- Statistical analysis --- p.53 / Chapter Chapter 4 - --- Results and Dicussion --- p.54 / Chapter 4.1 --- No. of cases in the study --- p.54 / Chapter 4.2 --- Phases of lifting --- p.55 / Chapter 4.3 --- Process time --- p.56 / Chapter 4.4 --- Trunk inclination angles --- p.62 / Chapter 4.5 --- Hip joint angles --- p.67 / Chapter 4.6 --- Knee joint angles --- p.73 / Chapter 4.7 --- Center of mass of box --- p.79 / Chapter 4.8 --- Muscle activities --- p.84 / Chapter Chapter 5 - --- Conclusion --- p.109 / Chapter Chapter 6 - --- References --- p.112