Maximum acceptable loads for pushing and pulling on floor surfaces with good and reduced resistance to slipping

Abstract Eight male subjects performed pushing and pulling tasks on two level floor surfaces having good and reduced resistance to slipping. Using a four wheel industrial trolley (hand cart), adapted so that the force required to move it could be varied by adding weights to boxes attached to either side, a psychophysical approach was used to determine maximum acceptable loads for 4 experimental conditions. Mean maximum acceptable trolley loads were 439 N (slip-resistant surface/pushing), 430 N (slip-resistant surface/pulling), 453 N (slippery surface/pushing), and 410 N (slippery surface/pulling), with differences between conditions non-significant. The maximum acceptable trolley loads were independent of the floor surfaces used. This was despite differences in ground reaction forces between the two flooring conditions ( P P