Carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight

Lumbar spondylosis - Carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight Factor

In operational service cases, the SOP requirement is carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through the spine to a cumulative total of 120,000 kg within any 10 year period.

In eligible service cases the requirement is carrying or lifting loads of least 35 kg while bearing weight through the spine to a cumulative total of 168,000 kg within any 10 year period.

Calculations

To accumulate 120,000 kg at the rate of 25 kg per lift or 168,000 kg at the rate of 35 kg per lift would require the following number of lifts per day over various periods of time:

You can calculate the number of lifts required to accumulate the required total weight by dividing 120,000 (or 168,000) by the weight being lifted. For example, if a person regularly lifted 27 kg as a storeman, then he would need to lift this weight 4,444 times to accumulate 120,000 kg. Dividing this number by the number of days in the period during which he did the lifting will give you the number of lifts per day required during this period, in order to accumulate the necessary total weight. Thus if the person only worked as a storeman for six months regularly lifting 27 kg, and did no other heavy lifting, he would need to have lifted 27 kg 24.4 times each day (4,444 divided by 180), in order to meet the SOP requirements.

Where the person performed a number of activities for varying lengths of time, lifting various weights, it will be more practical to simply add the weights lifted. For example if the above person also worked in a vehicle workshop for two months and lifted 30 kg twice every day, then you would:

• multiply 27 kg by 4 times per day by 180 days in six months, to obtain the total for his stint as a storeman, then
• multiply 30 kg by 2 times per day by 60 days in two months, to obtain the total for his time in the workshop.

The sum of these two figures will give the cumulative total.

Types of employment

Various types of employment which may involve lifting loads of the required magnitude while weight bearing include road worker, bricklayer, storeman, farmer or gardener. However, it is difficult to be prescriptive about the types of employment, given that the total weight can be accumulated over such a wide time span – see table in the Calculations section above.

In a military setting, for WW2 the pack weighed approximately 60lb or 27kg. The table below provides examples of pack and webbing weights for Infantry:

The webbing consists of a belt and shoulder straps on which various items are attached; this is usually put on first. The pack is carried on the back and is put on after the webbing.

Other activities that may be relevant include working in stores, construction, or vehicle workshops. In many instances, but not always, there would have been mechanical devices such as forklifts available to lift and carry weights.

However, every case should be considered individually as, for example, not all farmers would satisfy the definition and there may be other occupations which may involve the activities described above.

Physical requirements, duties, and workplace hazards of specific military occupations

Commonwealth OH & S legislation applies to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the relevant manual is issued by the appropriate Directorate. Additionally, a series of Defence Instructions are frequently published in relation to specific safety topics. Many large plant and heavy equipment have safety instructions and appropriate warnings, advising of safety requirements, eg ‘this is a two-man lift’, ‘ear muffs required’, ‘protective clothing and face masks required’.

The Chief of the Defence Force has some discretionary powers for operational situations, but it would be expected that OH&S procedures would generally be complied with.

The following examples of military occupations have been so classified on the basis of the likelihood of a greater or lesser degree of exposure to particular personal risk. However, the listing of a military occupation within a particular risk category does not imply that a specified level of exposure is met; and nor does the absence of a military occupation within a particular risk category imply that such an occupation would not have been exposed to such risk. Each case should be considered on its merits and the specific requirements of SOP factors must be met.

While some of the occupations are service-specific, many others involve similar duties and associated hazards that are comparable across the different services. Some occupations (entries) appear in all categories of hazards. The descriptions – some more comprehensive than others due to the disparate nature of the defence service sources – relate to usual activities, however, extraordinary circumstances may result in different hazard exposures. Army employment category numbers (ECNs) and/or service-specific occupational codes have been included where known.

The Decision Support Unit (DSU) holds several ADF publications outlining aspects of current service occupations. Queries about specific occupational duties not contained in CLIK may be directed to DSU for research and/or clarification.

Investigative Documents

Preliminary questions [26428]

26429  the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and VEA service for the condition under consideration.

26430   the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and VEA service for the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

26432  the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and operational service for the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

or

26433  the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and eligible service for the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

or

7334     the clinical onset of the condition under consideration occurred after the end of the veteran's last period of VEA service.

7335     the condition under consideration permanently worsened.

26431   the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and VEA service for the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

26434  the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and operational service for the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

or

26435  the veteran has established the causal connection between carrying or lifting loads while bearing weight and eligible service for the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

Clinical onset and operational service [26432]

12498 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any 10 year period.

12499 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any 10 year period before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

12510 operational service made a material contribution to the veteran's carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any ten year period before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

Clinical onset and eligible service [26433]

12500 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg within any 10 year period.

12501 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg within any 10 year period before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

25592 the clinical onset of the condition under consideration occurred within the 25 years following the 10 year period during which the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg.

12512 eligible service made a material contribution to the SOP requirements for carrying or lifting loads before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

Clinical worsening and operational service [26434]

12498 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any 10 year period.

34001 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any 10 year period before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

25594 the accumulation of at least 120,000 kg within any ten year period before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration through carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body commenced after the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

12513 operational service made a material contribution to the veteran's carrying or lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any ten year period before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

Clinical worsening and eligible service [26435]

12500 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg within any 10 year period.

12511 the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg within any 10 year period before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

25596 the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration occurred within the 25 years following the 10 year period during which the veteran performed carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg.

25595 the accumulation of at least 168,000 kg within any ten year period before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration through carrying or lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body commenced after the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

12515 eligible service made a material contribution to the SOP requirements for carrying or lifting loads before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.