Ergonomic Task Analysis for Prioritization of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Mango-Harvesting Farmers

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Farmers in the Southeast Asia Region: A Systematic Review

Background

Southeast Asia has many people who work in the agriculture sector. Not many stakeholders pay special attention to the health of farmers, even though they are exposed to various types of hazards. One of the most common health complaints among farmers is related to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study aims to assess the prevalence of WMSDs and factors associated with them among farmers in Southeast Asia.

Methods

A literature search on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and EBSCO was conducted. Articles were included if they studied ergonomic problems among farmers from 11 countries in the Southeast Asia region and were published during 2015-2022. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to evaluate the quality of the articles. The search process and retrieval process reflected PRISMA's recommendation.

Result

There were 14 studies found from 3 countries that had published articles in PubMed and ScienceDirect, including Thailand [8], Indonesia [4], and Malaysia [2]. The prevalence of WMSDs in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia was 78,31%, 81,27%, and 88,39%, respectively. Common factors associated with WMSDs include age, sex, smoking habits, drinking alcohol habits, working period (years), type of work, awkward position, non-ergonomic equipment, repetitive movements, and lifting heavy loads.

Conclusion

The prevalence of WMSDs among farmers in Southeast Asia is considerably high. Effective intervention is essential for reducing the prevalence and protecting workers' health and well-being.

Comparative ergonomic assessment of manual harvesting of un-lodged and lodged paddy crops post-tropical cyclone in India

OBJECTIVE

In recent times, increased rainfall from tropical cyclones due to climate change affects the agricultural sector, mainly the paddy fields. High windspeed with excessive rain causes lodging of paddy crops, which is difficult to harvest. Mechanized harvesting systems are ineffective in this situation due to waterlogging in the fields. Manual harvesting with a traditional sickle is the only way to harvest lodged crops to save food security crises and economic losses. Collecting the lodged paddy stems lying on the ground for harvesting manually is time-consuming and harvesters need to maintain an awkward posture for a prolonged period compared to harvesting un-lodged crops.

METHODS

Seventy-five female harvesters aged 35-75 years were selected for the study from both lodged and un-lodged small-scale farming lands of Kerala, a southwestern coastal state of India. A comparative ergonomic assessment was conducted to measure body pain, perceived exertion, postural risks, and rate of production under both harvesting conditions.

RESULTS

The harvesters reported significant higher rates of body pain, perceived exertion, high postural risks, and low productivity in lodged conditions compared to un-lodged condition.

CONCLUSION

Harvesting lodged crops involves high risks with low productivity and needs immediate ergonomic design intervention for the well-being of the harvesters.

Association of ergonomics risk factors among Iranian calico crafts-men and musculoskeletal discomforts: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have always been complaints reported by handicraft workers due to the repetitive and static nature of work. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the ergonomic conditions of craftsmen engaged with the calico industry.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was done in small calico industrial workshops in Isfahan, Iran, in 2022. The sample selection method in this study was census. Using QEC (Quick Exposure Checklist) and Cornell-Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ), the ergonomic status of workers was evaluated. The data were analyzed using Chi-square (χ2) and Pearson's product-moment correlation test.

RESULTS

The risk level of working postures in wrist/hand, shoulder /arm, and neck were high or very high among the craftsmen. The relationships between discomfort complaints reported by the participants and the risk level of working postures were significant for neck χ² (1, N = 100) = 13.603, P_value = 0.034, left knee χ² (1, N = 100) = 12.310, P_value = 0.030 and lower left leg χ² (1, N = 100) = 11.906, P_value = 0.042. The posture risk level scores for %57.7 of the participants who self-reported the right shoulder discomfort were found to be high or very high.

CONCLUSIONS

The high risk found in most calico craftsmen may induce more serious musculoskeletal problems that require applicable interventions. The most important risk factors realized among calico craftsmen were prolonged sitting postures and repetitive tasks.

Commonly Used Subjective Effort Scales May Not Predict Directly Measured Physical Workloads and Fatigue in Hispanic Farmworkers

In North America, Hispanic migrant farmworkers are being exposed to occupational ergonomic risks. Due to cultural differences in the perception and reporting of effort and pain, it was unknown whether standardized subjective ergonomic assessment tools could accurately estimate the directly measured their physical effort. This study investigated whether the subjective scales widely used in exercise physiology were associated with the direct measures of metabolic load and muscle fatigue in this population. Twenty-four migrant apple harvesters participated in this study. The Borg RPE in Spanish and the Omni RPE with pictures of tree-fruit harvesters were used for assessing overall effort at four time points during a full-day 8-h work shift. The Borg CR10 was used for assessing local discomfort at the shoulders. To determine whether there were associations between the subjective and direct measures of overall exertion measures, we conducted linear regressions of the percentage of heart rate reserve (% HRR) on the Borg RPE and Omni RPE. In terms of local discomfort, the median power frequency (MPF) of trapezius electromyography (EMG) was used for representing muscle fatigue. Then full-day measurements of muscle fatigue were regressed on the Borg CR10 changes from the beginning to the end of the work shift. The Omni RPE were found to be correlated with the % HRR. In addition, the Borg RPE were correlated to the % HRR after the break but not after the work. These scales might be useful for certain situations. In terms of local discomfort, the Borg CR10 were not correlated with the MPF of EMG and, therefore, could not replace direct measurement.

Ergonomic Design of Apron Bus with Consideration for Passengers with Mobility Constraints

Passengers in an apron bus are usually subjected to a standing position because of its limited seats and capacity. Due to this, passengers, especially those with mobility constraints, may expose themselves to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks such as body pain, discomfort, and non-collision injuries. The purpose of this study is to design an ergonomic apron bus to aid the musculoskeletal discomfort experienced by passengers with mobility constraints, specifically the elderly, pregnant women, mothers carrying infants, and persons needing wheelchair assistance. A total of 149 participants are involved in the study. Corlett’s and Bishop’s body discomfort questionnaires and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) are utilized to evaluate the respondent’s experience of discomfort in different regions of their body. The results show that passengers with mobility constraints experience body discomfort during the apron bus ride. The prevalence of body discomfort is evident in the lower back, knee, thigh, arm, shoulder, and middle back. Finally, principles of anthropometry are used in the study along with quality function deployment (QFD), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), and cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the feasibility of the recommended ergonomic design of the apron bus. To meet the requirements of people with disabilities, the ergonomic design of an apron bus is created to minimize the risk of exposure of passengers to certain musculoskeletal discomfort, maximize the space, minimize the delay time of the airlines, and be able to prioritize passengers who require mobility assistance.