en Occupational and Industrial Health Occupational and Industrial Health پژوهشي Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"> <div><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong>Background: </strong>Manual material handling is a high-risk task, which could lead to musculoskeletal injuries. The present study aimed to determine the association of manual load lifting tasks with the ergonomic risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders using the WISHA index and QEC method.<br> <strong>Methods:</strong> This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 52 employees of the metal industry, who were surveyed by the simple census method. The WISHA index was used to assess the manual load lifting, and Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, the QEC method was applied to evaluate the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 21.<br> <strong>Results:</strong> In total, 53.8% of the workers lifted heavier loads than the allowable weight obtained by the WISHA index. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was 79.9%, and the risk of musculoskeletal disorders was 36.5% at an extremely high level and 44.2% at a high level. The WISHA index was significantly correlated with the QEC scores (<em>P</em> < 0.001) and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders<br> (<em>P</em> = 0.022).<br> <strong>Conclusion: </strong>According to the results, manual material handling tasks increased the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and work absenteeism. Therefore, taking corrective actions is essential in the workplace.</span></span></div> </div> Lifting, Musculoskeletal disorders, Ergonomic, WISHA index, 183 187 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-396-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Behnam Moradi B.moradi@sbmu.ac.ir 100319475328460010504 100319475328460010504 No Department of Health, Safety and Environment, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Samira Barakat samirabarakat.ohs@gmail.com 100319475328460010505 100319475328460010505 Yes Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.