Lifting loads while bearing weight

Lifting loads while bearing weight

Bearing weight in this context means supporting a weight through a joint.  This contention only applies to osteoarthritis of a lower limb joint. Lifting while standing, weight loads the ankles, knees and hips, but bench pressing weights does not.

The RMA defines a joint of the lower limb to mean "the hip, knee, ankle, sacro-iliac joint or any joint of the foot".

In operational service cases the SoP requirements are lifting loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through the affected joint to a cumulative total of at least 120,000 kg within any 10 year period.

In eligible service cases the SoP requirements are lifting loads of at least 35 kg while bearing weight on the affected joint to a cumulative total of at least 168,000 kg within any 10 year period.

• Calculations
• Types of employment

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

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.

Last reviewed for CCPS 10 June 2012.

Investigative Documents

Preliminary questions [12491]

25626  the veteran has claimed osteoarthritis of a relevant joint or joints for lifting loads while bearing weight.

or

25627   the veteran has claimed osteoarthritis of an unspecified relevant joint or joints for lifting loads while bearing weight.

41691  the veteran has osteoarthritis of a joint of the lower limb.

12495  the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and VEA service for osteoarthritis.

31474   the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and VEA service for the clinical onset of osteoarthritis.

31476  the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and operational service for the clinical onset of osteoarthritis.

or

31477  the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and eligible service for the clinical onset of osteoarthritis.

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.

31475   the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and VEA service for the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis.

31478  the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and operational service for the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis.

or

31479  the veteran has established the causal connection between lifting loads while bearing weight and eligible service for the clinical worsening of osteoarthritis.

Clinical onset and operational service [31476]

12494 the veteran lifted 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.

12504 the veteran lifted 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.

31481 operational service made a material contribution to the veteran's lifting of loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of 120,000 kg within any 10 year period before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

Clinical onset and eligible service [31477]

31480 the veteran lifted 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.

31482 the veteran lifted 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.

31485 the clinical onset of the condition under consideration occurred within the 25 years following the 10 year period during which the veteran lifted 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.

31487 eligible service made a material contribution to the balance of probabilities Statement of Principles requirements for lifting loads while bearing weight before the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

Clinical worsening and operational service [31478]

12494 the veteran lifted 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.

31484 the veteran lifted 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.

31489 the accumulation of 120,000 kg within any 10 year period through 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.

31488 operational service made a material contribution to the veteran's lifting of loads of at least 25 kg while bearing weight through side and site of the body to a cumulative total of 120,000 kg within any 10 year period before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.

Clinical worsening and eligible service [31479]

31480 the veteran lifted 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.

31483 the veteran lifted 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.

31486 the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration occurred within the 25 years following the 10 year period during which the veteran lifted 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.

31490 the accumulation of 168,000 kg within any 10 year period through 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.

31494 eligible service made a material contribution to the balance of probabilities Statement of Principles requirements for lifting loads while bearing weight before the clinical worsening of the condition under consideration.