The purpose of this project was to design an affordable lift device for use in the home by home support workers. The aim was to develop an ergonomically sound lifting mechanism that could be used with commercially available slings and ceiling tracks.

The development and evaluation of a lift device for use in the home followed the system of Design Controls developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the safety and effectiveness of medical device development (FDA 1997). To contain costs, a manually operated lift design was chosen. The study results suggested the BCIT lift device was safe and effective, and approximately half the price of commercially available lifts. The device was determined to be ready for testing with home clients and HSWs in home settings.