Manual Material Handling (MMH) involves lifting, bending, and twisting motions of the torso. Poor
lifting technique is often considered a major risk factor in low back injury associated with manual lifting
tasks. Currently, there is little work on the effects of lifting on the Malaysian population. The MMH
activities that was designed with the different lifting heights, frequency, weight of loads and the effect
on of biceps and triceps muscle contraction of the subjects during the lifting tasks were studied. The
parameters involved are weight of the loads lifted, height of the loads lifted and lifting frequency as the
independent variables. Whereas the dependent variable is Electromyography (EMG) signal. The weight
loads are varying from 10kg up to 24kg and the heights of the loads travels from the floor to 70cm
and 130cm heights. The frequency of lifting is set to 1 lift and 6 lifts per minute. 14 healthy male and
female subjects were recruited in this study. The questionnaires and consent form were used to identify
the health condition of the subjects before performing the lifting tasks. The EMG activity was recorded
and collected from biceps and triceps muscles using the Shimmer EMG system. This method is used
in determining the maximum acceptable weight limit (MAWL) that can be lifted by the subjects in the
lifting tasks. This research aims to design a lifting equation that suits for Malaysian people. Therefore,
the effects of different manual lifting tasks on Malaysian physiological limits need to be identified.