Handling heavy loads and MSDs: A reminder of the standards to be respected

Compliance with thresholds not to be exceeded

For manual handling, standard X35-109 is a recommendation of the CNAMTS (Caisse Nationale de l’Assurance Maladie des Travailleurs Salariés) concerning the carrying of loads by workers. Established in 1989, it defined manual handling, first maximum loads and limited load bearing during work actions according to gender and age.

To fight against MSDs, the X35 – 109 standard defines acceptable weights between 5 and 15 kg. Under 5kg, it is not a risk. Above 15 kg, it is considered a risk situation. Above 25 kg, we are in the unacceptable zone. The X35 – 109 standard gives an acceptable daily cumulative tonnage of 7.5 tons over 8 hours for one person. It also defines an acceptable force application height for the hand position between 0.75 and 1.10 m.

Women are not allowed to carry loads over 25 kg. For young workers, the limits depend on age and gender. The “Table 98” of the Social Security Code lists all the MSDs as well as the designation of the diseases, the deadlines for coverage and the restrictive list of susceptible work, which will allow you to limit the causes that cause MSDs.