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Farm hand tools injuries: A case study from northern India
Abstract
Hand tools are commonly used on Indian farms. There are 800 million hand tools used on Indian farms by 260 million farm workers. This study was done in two phases. In the first phase, data on agricultural related injuries was collected from nine contiguous villages in a total population of 19,723 persons. In the second phase of study 21 more villages were added and population covered was 78,890. A total of 576 agricultural injuries were reported in Phase I, hand tools accounted for 332 (58%) of total agricultural injuries. In Phase II, 54 (19%) injuries were hand tool related out of total 282 agricultural injuries. Most of the injuries i.e. 98% and 91% of the hand tool injuries caused were AIS 1 (45% and 17% of the total AIS 1 injuries) in Phase I and II. Seventy percent of AIS1 hand tool injuries had a recovery time of more than 7 days in Phase I. In Phase II, all AIS 1 injuries took more than 7 days to recover. The mechanism of injuries was slippage of tool from hand or hitting a hard surface with impact type soil interactive tools (spade). The foot and legs were the most frequently injured body part in these tools. For harvesting tools (sickle), deep cuts of fingers and in weeding fork abrasions on under side of little finger because of ground contact were common injuries. For axe and sugar cane cutter, higher severity injuries were sustained on upper extremities. There are 1700 injuries related to hand tools per hundred thousand farm workers per year in rural India. Productivity was impaired to the tune of 24,000 days per hundred thousand population because of injuries caused by hand tools on these farms.
... The combination of the human with hand tools or machines forms a very productive system provided that their characteristics are appropriately used [1]. Aghazadeh and Mital [2] and Kumar et al. [3] ISSN 1051-9815/$35.00 © 2022 -IOS Press. All rights reserved. ...
... reported that mismatch in dimensions between hands and hand tools attributes workplace accidents and injuries. Kumar et al. [3] also reported that improper handle diameter causes loose grip and slippage, thus lower force exertion by agricultural workers. The demand for higher force increases muscle strain and may be an important cause of musculoskeletal disorders. ...
... Smaller hand width, fingers thickness and hand length results in the smaller contact area of the hand on a tool handle and thus may cause poor grip by the female agricultural workers. Kumar et al. [3] reported that slippage of hand tools is one of the causes of injuries due to hand tools and it may be due to poor grip. Improper handle diameter and length of the handle are important tool design factors for reducing hand tool injuries. ...
Background:
The hand anthropometric data is the baseline for design of hand tools and equipment.
Objective:
This study aimed to generate the hand anthropometric database of male and female agricultural workers and compare it with the hand anthropometric data of other regions of India. The use of collected data is illustrated to design hand tools and protective gear.
Methods:
Hand anthropometric data were collected from 228 male and 198 female agricultural workers of northeast India. A total of 35 hand dimensions, stature and body mass from different tribes in the age group of 18-60 years were precisely measured. Measured data were statistically analysed to study the effects of gender, ethnicity, and age on hand dimensions. Correlation coefficients were determined among hand dimensions and linear regression equations were developed between highly correlated dimensions.
Results:
The results show that all hand dimensions of the male and female subjects are significantly different (p < 0.01). Most of the hand dimensions were significantly different (p < 0.05) among different tribes for the male subjects. However, less number of hand dimensions were significantly different among tribes for the female subjects. Age of the subjects has significant effects (p < 0.01) on dimensions related to thickness, depth and circumference of fingers. The use of these data in the ergonomic design of hand tools and personal protective gear is illustrated to increase safety and comfort as well as efficiency of operators.
Conclusion:
There is a difference in the hand dimensions of different tribes of northeast India. This needs to be considered when designing agricultural hand tools and equipment.
... For harvesting tools (sickle), deep cuts of fingers and abrasions on underside of little finger are common injuries seen in harvesting season. Kumar et al., (2008) [16] pointed out that there are 1700 injuries related to hand tools per hundred thousand farm workers per year in rural India. There is no mechanism to monitor agricultural accidents and fatalities in rural India. ...
... For harvesting tools (sickle), deep cuts of fingers and abrasions on underside of little finger are common injuries seen in harvesting season. Kumar et al., (2008) [16] pointed out that there are 1700 injuries related to hand tools per hundred thousand farm workers per year in rural India. There is no mechanism to monitor agricultural accidents and fatalities in rural India. ...
In Saurashtra, most farmers manually harvest leafy crops like coriander, fenugreek, and Indian spinach. This traditional approach involves various postures like squatting, bending, and sitting while bending. Commonly, hand injuries such as cuts from tools and bruises from plant pulling occur during harvesting. Manual leafy crop harvesting is both time-intensive and demanding. The crops' perishable nature requires timely harvesting with sufficient labor, as delays can harm product quality. At the Department of FMPE, College of Agricultural Engineering, JAU, Junagadh, a self-propelled harvester for leafy crops like coriander and fenugreek has been successfully designed and developed. Powered by a 5 hp diesel engine, this machine incorporates essential elements including the main frame, cutting unit, conveyor unit, storage unit, steering unit, and transportation unit. Through an ergonomic evaluation, the harvesting process using this newly developed harvester has been classified as moderately heavy work. From an economic standpoint, a comparative analysis was conducted between this advanced leafy crop harvester and the conventional harvesting technique. The overall cost of the self-propelled leafy crop harvester was calculated as ₹96,135. Utilizing this harvester reduced the labor requirement to 7.63 (approximately 8) man-hours per ha, whereas manual harvesting demanded a substantial 160 man-hours per ha. Consequently, the newly developed harvester showcases significant cost savings amounting to ₹5,009.62 per ha. This equates to a remarkable 71.57% reduction in costs and an impressive time saving of 95.30% for leafy crop harvesting operations. Evaluating the economics further, the benefit-cost ratio and payback period for this self-propelled harvester were determined as 3.05 and 2.62 years, respectively. The break-even point for the developed leafy crop harvester was found to be 122.9 h/year.
... According to previous studies (Kumar et al., 2008), important tool design factors are improper handle diameter and handle length, inappropriate material and texture of handle, improper clearance for hand in handles, which affect the performance of the persons and cause injuries. (Vanderwal et al., 2011), found that the new long handle hoe significantly reduced the reporting discomfort in all body regions, as well as injury near misses compared to the use of the new short handle hoe. ...
... Furthermore, when briefly pause work, they rest the palm on the top-end of the handle while standing. Hence, the long handle hoe with sufficient handle length is required to maintain upright posture (Vanderwal et al., 2011) and also reduce work related injuries (Kumar et al., 2008) while facilitating work and short breaks. ...
Integrating ergonomics into the manual long handle hoe design will minimize work-related musculoskeletal disorders while improving farm workers' health and safety, consequently improving the performance. To what extent ergonomic design aspects have been incorporated into the existing manual hoe types used by farmworkers in Sri Lanka for different purposes for different soil conditions are unknown. This study used farmworkers as subjects to investigate the ergonomics of five different existing hoe types under sandy soil conditions at Ampara district in Sri Lanka. It was found that the hoe type B, which has a longer handle (123 cm), smaller blade size (width-21.4 cm and length-16.3 cm), less weight (1.8 kg) and blade to handle angle of 70°, is the most suitable among all the hoe types tested for hoeing operations in sandy soil. The study also found that farmworkers can discriminate between hoe types based on their suitability for the task. The study suggests that further research works are needed to evaluate the existing hoe types to use in different soils for different purposes that will help to improve the hoe type and farm workers' health and performance.
... In India, many activities in sugarcane cultivation are manual; the literature emphasizes that sugarcane workers have higher occupational accidents and are exposed to the high toxicity of pesticides (Phoolchund 1991). In India, Kumar et al. (2008) indicated that 576 and 282 injuries were recorded during the survey of agricultural injuries in Phase I (population 19,273) and Phase II (population 78,890), respectively. Among these, sugarcane-related injuries were more predominant in phase II because study areas were largely under sugarcane cultivation. ...
Sugarcane is an important industrial crop of India after cotton, contributing around 6% of the agricultural GDP. A study was undertaken to analyse the sugarcane mechanization in the selected area and also to identify the injury-related operations in sugarcane cultivation. A direct interview with farmers was conducted to gather information using the designed schedule on mechanization level, adoption of equipment, injury and cultivation practices, etc. Seventy-two farmers from three villages of Erode District were considered for this study. The data were analysed statistically to infer the results. The analysis indicates that farmers cultivated sugarcane crops in 36.3 to 47.9% of their available land. An increasing trend of 30–35 kW tractors was observed with 76.3% of farmers. Out of 18 unit operations, five unit operations were completely mechanized, while irrigation was partially mechanized. The farms have enough power sources of 4.13 kW/ha, but most operations were performed manually, reflecting the overall mechanization indicator of 0.162. This indicates that strategies should focus on the penetration of the developed technologies in villages. In the injury analysis, sugarcane leaves were associated with 88% of the total injuries and 12% were tools related. The causation factor included leaf blades that caused cuts while moving in the fields, deep cuts due to pulling and plucking leaves from a cane and slippage of tool (spade), while hitting hard objects resulted in injuries. The injuries affect the productivity and efficiency of the workers. The study suggests cost-effective, simple interventions to prevent these injuries, like face shields, hand gloves and footwear. The suggestions of this study are implementable in developing nations to protect sugarcane workers who perform various activities manually.
... Improper design of hand tools and continuous use of them in sewing operation developed severe hand injuries among workers [7]. Due to slipping of hand tools and impact to hard surfaces in agricultural field, farmers of northern India more often met with cuts and pricks leads to major fatal injuries [8]. The workforce engaged in construction site for wire tying in columns, in absence of proper hand tools uses pliers and available local tools, due to which highly repetitive and forceful exertion of hand tool, causes serious hand/wrist problems [9]. ...
Hand related acute and chronic injuries are common among soft marble carving artisans of Jabalpur. The task is highly repetitive, forceful and involves precession grip. This study aimed to determine the causative factor of work-related hand injuries and accidents so that effective interventions can be suggested to retain the sustainable growth of the artisan's community. Occupational hand related risk among the artisans was identified using Amended Dutch Questionnaire (ADQ) and Amended Boston Questionnaire (ABQ). Direct observation study was performed to cross-check the reporting of the Questionnaire study. The artisans were found to be prone to the risks of high force, static load, repetitive activity, and vibration. Symptoms like pain, weakness, and difficulty with handling tools were highly prevalent among the artisans, those with experience < 20 years, while numbness (p < 0.001) and tingling (p < 0.05) were highly reported among artisans, those with experience > 31 years. The study indicates that the artisans are at high risk of developing hand pain symptoms and an immediate ergonomic intervention is need for the well-being of the artisans.
... For operation of the advanced machines requires experience and skill. Lack of this, the accidents may occur (Kumar et al., 2008). Accidents in agriculture are a worldwide problem. ...
The study was conducted to explore the growth performance of the 19 promising clones of poplar at 12 and 24 months after planting. Data were statistically analyzed for different growth parameters viz., colour of buds (after one month), total height, collar diameter, inter-nodal length, number of branches, volume index at first and second year. Taxonomic evaluation (colour of buds) revealed that the clonal characters further represent the source of germplasm from poplar of section Aigeirous. Results revealed that clone C-5 showed significantly better performance for total height, collar diameter, inter-nodal length and volume index, Clone C-7 and PL5 had a higher number of branches in comparison to other clones. Clones SOLAN-13, SOLAN-8 FRI-72, FRI-100 and WIMCO-62 were also found to be the promising clones for growth parameters. Clones C-5 showed better performance for all above mentioned growth characters over other clones.
... The upper body part is comparatively less affected with the lower part. Legs are most prone then knee, foot, stomach, etc. Kumar et al., in Nothern India, reported, the foot and legs were the most frequently involved in hand tool injuries [14]. Parvez et al., in Bangladesh, reported that hand tool injuries were 67% and remaining 33% agricultural injuries were due to machinery and other means [10]. ...
Objectives: The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) Study the various type of agricultural accident in selected district. (2) Study the various factors associated with agricultural accidents. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study conducted after getting ethical approval from ethical committee in villages of Ratlam District selected by stratified random sampling method for the duration of 1 year. Data collected using predesigned structured pro forma through selected villages using key informant approach. Study financially supported by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). Discussion: Total 865 were victims of agricultural accidents in our study which include 22.20% (192) females and 77.80% (673) males. Most of the victims (46.24%) who met agricultural accident were from age of 30–45 years and about 6.47% (37 – males and 19 – females) victims were below age of 15 years. Mean age of victims was 32.98 and SD 12.415. Conclusion: Mean ages of victims were 32.98 and SD 12.415. Young workers recorded the highest rate of agricultural injury with 52 accidents per 1000 workers. Incidence of agricultural accidents found to be ≈ 26.11 per 1000 workers per year. Total 865 agricultural injuries were reported, of which 457 (52.83%) by hand tool (Sickle/Pick-axe/hand hoes). The overall accident’s incidence rate calculated was 3.66/1000/year. Sickle accidents were highest which constituted 400(46.24%). The right hand fingers (101) are most affected part followed by the left hand fingers (95).
... s and its use in this region, hand tool related injuries has got very significant social and economic cost. A survey conducted in India indicated that seventy percent of agricultural hand tool injuries had a recovery time of more than 7 days. Productivity was impaired to the tune of 24,000 days per hundred thousand population because of injuries ( A Kumar et. al., 2008). ...
... For operation of the advanced machines requires experience and skill. Lack of this, the accidents may occur (Kumar et al., 2008). Accidents in agriculture are a worldwide problem. ...
An IoT based agricultural accidents monitoring system has been developed to know cause and analysis of accident also to estimate losses due to agricultural accidents. It has capability to feed and upload data along with live photographs from the spot of accident and from the place of investigation. The system consists of mobile app and a server-based software. Android Studio and Adobe Dreamweaver was used for development of android app for creating, publishing, and managing websites and mobile content while MySQL, J2EEtechnology were used to develop web applications, CVS is a version control system used for Source Configuration Management (SCM). Eclipse was used to develop packages and Apache Tomcat for web server environment in which Java code can run. The developed multi lingual application is user friendly with multilevel security and can be operated by persons using any android-based mobile phone. The system can generate reports as per the access authentication. The analysis includes accidents type and nature, total number, farm machinery related, hand-tools related and other accidents. Apart from research organizations this system can revolutionize safety in agriculture through manufacturers, policy makers, insurance companies for implementation of more safety features, safety standards on the equipment, creating awareness whereby bringing down accidents to the minimum level for more safe tomorrow in the field of agriculture.
... Indian agriculture also experiences agricultural work-related health hazards similar to that of many other developed countries around the world. [7][8][9] The annual fatality rate of India was estimated as 22.0 per 100 000 agricultural workers, 10 which was comparable to those in the countries like 22.0 in USA 11 and 20.6 in Australia. 12 In the Punjab state of India, it was estimated that out of 27.74 million total population, 3.52 million workers were engaged in agricultural and allied activities to cover 4.11 million hectares of total cultivated land. ...
Objective
Analysis of data on monetary compensation and estimating the rate of injuries related to agricultural activities in the state of Punjab.
Methods
The primary data were collected from 22 districts of Punjab state for 2012–2015 through Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board, Mohali. Data were analysed for the nature of health hazards, type of injuries, possible causes and factors of injuries and their gender.
Results
During the four consecutive years (2012–2015) an overall 5888 hazards cases related to agricultural activities were reported from the state, out of which 1993 (33.85%) were fatal and 3895 (66.15%) were non-fatal injuries. Among the fatal cases, the leading causes reported were due to electric motors (34.47%), poisoning through snake bites (21.48%), poisoning through pesticide applications with sprayers (19.62%) and crushed under/falling from the tractors and related equipment (13.50%). The annual fatality rate of the state of Punjab was estimated as 14.14 per 100 000 agricultural workers, while the overall injury incidence rate was observed as 39.57 per 100 000 agricultural workers.
Conclusions
Majority of agricultural work-related health hazards in Punjab were mainly due to negligence, lack of knowledge/experience, restlessness/sleeplessness, inadequate safety measures, over speed and wrong practices employed by the operator. There is a need for better ergonomic controls, work environments and practices for the prevention of injuries and health hazards related to agricultural activities.
... As compared to the industrial workers, the injuries of farmers were reported to be higher (Helkamp et al., 2002). Kumar et al. (2008) have reported a total of 576 agricultural related injuries with hand tool related as 332 i.e. 58%, considering nine villages with 19,723 persons in 1st phase of their study. Additionally, in 2 nd phase of study by considering more 21 villages with 78,890 persons 54 i.e.19% of hand tool related injuries out of 282 injuries was reported. ...
Within the agricultural sector, it becomes essential worldwide to analyze the magnitude of OHS problems. However, there is a lack of study in Odisha (India) to assess the prevailing situations. Hence, an attempt was made in this study to explore the issues related to OHS among the farmers of Odisha in India. There is a dual main contribution in this study. At first the occupational health and safety issues of farmers of Odisha in India were analyzed based on the literature review and the data collected by personal interaction and questionnaires. In the second part, the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method was used to rank the different farming processes, as well as different risks involved in various farming activities.
... There are approximately 1700 injuries documented related to hand tools per hundred thousand farm workers per year in rural India. Productivity was impaired to the tune of 24,000 days per hundred thousand populations because of injuries caused by hand tools on these farms (Kumar et al., 2008). It is very important to recognize the ergonomics concerned in agriculture activities due to a majority of population works. ...
Agriculture is one of the drudgery prone
occupations due to lack of access to improved agricultural
technologies. In this sector, most of the farm activities are
carried out by farmers and are therefore, subjected to very
strenuous conditions of work that leads to both physical and
psychological stress. The working conditions lack essential
facilities; forces adoption of static and neo-neutral postures
and unsupported positions, dependence on muscular force
and strength that make the work very laborious and energy
intensive. Farmers are subjected to such workloads every
day, resulting in various physical disorders and health issues.
Problems further aggravates as available farm equipment
are not designed as per the anatomical and anthropometry of region/location specific users. Resultant equipment’s and technologies are not suitable for actual users as their body dimensions, strength and physiological characteristics are different. The evaluation
of agricultural activities and tools on the basis of ergonomics parameters are essential to measure drudgery. Evaluators are
performing the ergonomics protocol manually without any computerized system or application software which is in existence
for helping or simplifying the assessment calculations. The existing computer programs are for some other companies that were
developed based on their activities and workplaces for their internal use. Hence, android based mobile app for evaluating
agricultural activities on ergonomics protocol developed is a response to agricultural engineers who want to design, develop and
improve tools to be used by workers as well as researchers and students who want to conduct their research on the drudgery
aspects of farmers. App performs some calculations
... The data were collected by personal interview method using both schedule and semi-structured interview supplying questionnaire mentioning the salient points. After completion of the socio-economic survey, a total of 100 filled-in questionnaires were received and analysed to find out the socio-economic status of farmers of these villages [5]. ...
The present study describes the Socioeconomic Status and Knowledge about the pest management strategies Lawngtlai district, Mizoram. The two villages viz. Chawnhu and Thingkah of this district are selected for the implementation of the research. A designed questionnaire was designed to collect the information about the targeted objectives. Efforts were made to have one-to-one interaction with the farmers. A total number of fifty farmers have been selected randomly from each village and revealed that the farmers are very poor backward and has very poor knowledge about the pest, natural enemies, and recently developed pest management strategies. There may be very much less expertise about the rural techniques and with no focus on their stepped forward management practices. But was also felt that the farmers are keen to learn and apply the recently developed strategies which may improve the socio-economic standard moreover, it can be triggered by introducing facilities of modern technology such as Information and communication tools in the management of crop pest.
... A substantial problem in the Indian context is that, while risk factors for WMSDs are present and workers are suffering from WMSDs, much of the work is in informal sectors and there are no published works for direct reference. Reports are available in some informal sectors, such as firewood collectors (Borah, 2015), incense stick workers (Mukhopadhyay & Ghosal, 2008), cane and bamboo workers (Kumar et al., 2008), agricultural workers (Vyavahare & Kallurkar, 2016), and fishing (Saha et al., 2006). This literature indicates the prevalence of WMSDs in these sectors and the need to control them for enhancing productivity. ...
Occupational Applications
Risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders were found to be prevalent in the informal work sector of tire tread removing units at Jabalpur in Central India. A majority of the tasks examined were in high-risk category requiring immediate ergonomic intervention. We show that using relatively simple methods, with little training, can aid in early detection of risk factors and thus help to prevent the onset of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Based on the study results, we present several possible ergonomics interventions, which may be a cost-effective approach to reducing injury risk and enhancing productivity.
... Rural activities with a low number of advanced mechanical equipment indicate that hand tools and machines are among the leading causes of injuries, such as amputations of hands and fingers among workers [38][39][40]. ...
Work in rural properties in conditions similar to slavery remains a reality in many countries, including Brazil. The Brazilian State characterises contemporary slave labour as a condition of freedom restriction for paying off debt, served by intensive working hours or inadequate working conditions related to Occupational Safety and Health. This study highlights the working conditions in rural slavery in Brazil, based on the Occupational Safety and Health perspective. The study was carried out based on a sample of Inspection Reports of the Governmental Authority to Combat Modern Slavery. A random sample of 42 reports was collected and analysed, describing the working conditions of 392 rural workers characterised as labour analogous to slavery. The analysis strategy was carried out from an Occupational Safety and Health standpoint. Data sets were identified and selected, grouped into five categories: Work routine; General health conditions; Manual machines and tools; Environmental conditions. Widespread exposure of Neo-enslaved workers to stressful working hours was found, in addition to severe Occupational Safety and Health problems. The occurrence of all these characteristics simultaneously was the most observed phenomenon among the sample, which demonstrates that it is possible to identify cases of modern slavery from an Occupational Safety and Health perspective.
... It is predicted that almost every year from three states of northern India (Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh) there may be 1,50,000-2,00,000 serious injuries, 15,000-20,000 amputations and 5,000-10,000 deaths due to agricultural-related activities [6]. On the whole, agricultural injury accident rate is considered to be 1.25/1000 workers/year in India [8] and the amount of injuries related to hand tools is also very high it may go up to 1700/100000 agricultural workers/year in rural region of country [9]. According to the Census report, it has been found that in Uttar Pradesh itself around 30.3% of the population is directly involved in agricultural work and more than 70% of the population of the state directly or indirectly depends on agriculture and its allied sectors [10]. ...
Agriculture is the main source of income for Indian population and it is a sector which contributes maximum Indian economy. In spite of that, agriculture is also known as the nation’s most unsafe with high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and hazardous industry. The agricultural workers are using various types of tools and machinery daily for different activities to be performed in the agricultural fields. But still there is a little of human aspects and ergonomics involved in the design of tools/implements in which farmers are working in the present scenario. Workers aged between 24 and 50 years, who were using the traditional tool (hoe) for weeding operations were selected for the present study. Rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) was used for the analysis of working postures of the agricultural workers in a virtual environment with one of widely used hand tool (hoe). The assessment results obtained from RULA suggests that the postures of the agricultural workers while using existing hoe is extremely harmful and there is an urgent need to be addressed in detail about these postures and tool. Further, the existing hoe is redesigned taking into considerations of anthropometric dimensions and analysed through RULA results of which indicates a reduction in MSDs.
... In addition, social norms and employee interactions also affect the risk of medical staff causing injuries. Kumar et al 19 analyzed the use of manual tools that cause injuries in Indian farms. The results show that the incidence of injuries caused by manual tools has reduced the productivity of Indian farms. ...
Improving the management efficiency of industrial accidents is significant for stabilizing social order and improving production efficiency. Although many previous studies have discussed the impact of work injury on different occupations from the work safety and health perspectives, few have jointly discussed economic, social, medical, and environmental pollution issues, and those that do mostly employ static models, failing to take into account welfare factors and environmental pollution issues that affect society. Therefore, in order to understand the dynamic evolution trend between social and economic activities and environmental issues, this study utilizes a modified undesirable two-stage dynamic exogenous data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to explore the economic, social, medical, and environmental efficiencies of 30 provinces in China to fill the gap in the literature. In terms of work injury insurance expenditure efficiency, the results show that the air quality index (AQI) impacts the ranking of China’s 30 provincial regions, with Fujian, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shandong, Tianjin, and Xinjiang being greatly affected. AQI significantly influences overall factor efficiency, rescue invalid deaths, and the work-related injuries in the various regions. AQI also has a relatively small effect on the efficiency of work injury insurance benefits. Based on this, we offer suggestions for policy makers to evaluate the social benefits of environmental governance and the efficiency of human capital.
... Chemical and radiation energies were also used. Kumar et al. (2008) analysed and found agriculture sector is one of the most illiterate and unorganized sector. The sharp turn taken by the operator, uneven land conditions, sudden applying of brakes while moving in high speed, poor functioning of brakes, accelerators and handle, and excessive load carried by the tractor are some of the causes of the accidents. ...
Workplace machinery has important role in the overall production or execution but, at the same time, it is one of the leading causes of accidents. According to occupational safety and health administration report, from 2009 to 2018, it is found that 22.23% fatality occurred from the moving machinery in construction industries, 29% accidents occurred due to tractors, farm vehicles and equipment in the agriculture sector, 30% accidents from robots, 23% accidents on ship and 20.12% accidents from sawmill machineries and wood workshops. The movements of machines (rotational and linear machine movements), inadequate guarding, power source, reliability factors, lack of maintenance and workplace design are the reasons behind the major accidents. Through this paper, an attempt is made to highlight the various reasons for the accidents due to moving machinery, and at the same time, an approach is given to minimize accidents due to the same. Critical analysis is done to prevent accidents due to their inherent hazards and along with appropriate corrective measures is suggested for accident minimization. This paper also discusses the procedures and methods to reduce the risks due to moving machinery and stress upon the necessities of proper information regarding the work conditions, training, instruction and supervision which results in the reduction of accidents.
... Chemical and radiation energies were also used. Kumar et al. (2008) analysed and found agriculture sector is one of the most illiterate and unorganized sector. The sharp turn taken by the operator, uneven land conditions, sudden applying of brakes while moving in high speed, poor functioning of brakes, accelerators and handle, and excessive load carried by the tractor are some of the causes of the accidents. ...
Industrial hygiene professionals and other pharmaceutical industry occupational health specialists have acknowledged that occupational exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) may cause unintended health impacts in the handling of these drugs by employees. In an industrial setting, where a worker offers a route of exposure to a powerful chemical compound, there is a high likelihood or risk that the compound will produce the designed response. Industrial hygiene offers needed policies to prevent occupational exposure to powerful compounds and elements of a good powerful safety program for compounds. Industrial hygiene is all about anticipating and assessing the hazards of powerful compounds; determining which of the procedures present the greatest risks; assessing the risks; and controlling future occupational exposures mainly through engineering and administrative systems. It basically deals with assessing the hazards of current or new compounds, conducting risk assessments on all prospective exposures to risks, assessing future exposures, carrying out risk assessments and controlling steps to prevent risks, accidents and sensitive events in the workplace fields. To prevent exposure to powerful chemical compounds, all safety precautions should be introduced and failure of control exposures to powerful compounds may result in expensive program mistakes, delayed manufacturing schedules and possibly dangerous exposures to industrial employees.
... Workers from manufacturing industry and agriculture sector are potentially exposed to high percentage of injuries due to poor design of hand tools [41], [42]. Previous studies pointed that poor design and excessive use of hand tools increase the severity and frequency of acute/chronic injuries of the hand, wrist, and forearm [42], [43], [44]. Fig. 1 illustrates the correlation of hand grip strength and problematic hand tool design, as a function of time. ...
... As compared to the industrial workers, the injuries of farmers were reported to be higher (Helkamp et al., 2002). Kumar et al. (2008) have reported a total of 576 agricultural related injuries with hand tool related as 332 i.e. 58%, considering nine villages with 19,723 persons in 1st phase of their study. Additionally, in 2 nd phase of study by considering more 21 villages with 78,890 persons 54 i.e.19% of hand tool related injuries out of 282 injuries was reported. ...
Within the agricultural sector, it becomes essential worldwide to analyze the magnitude of OHS problems. However, there is a lack of study in Odisha (India) to assess the prevailing situations. Hence, an attempt was made in this study to explore the issues related to OHS among the farmers of Odisha in India. There is a dual main contribution in this study. At first the occupational health and safety issues of farmers of Odisha in India were analyzed based on the literature review and the data collected by personal interaction and questionnaires. In the second part, the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method was used to rank the different farming processes, as well as different risks involved in various farming activities.
... Coury et al. (1999) also reported statistics on injuries in the Alberta, in which maximum injuries was found in finger and hand/wrist. Few studies (Kumar et al., 2008;Kumar and Dewangan, 2009) in India also discussed the statistics of agriculture accidents. Both studies found higher injuries in farm workers due to un-ergonomic hand implements. ...
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major work-related issue for farmers. The aim of the current research is to find out the occurrence and risk factors for MSDs in the manual agriculture workers. A sample of Indian workers was surveyed (N = 138). An information theory method was investigated to determine the comparative feature of mathematical models for a specified group of data collected on MSDs, individual and work parameters. The result from the Akaike information criterion analysis used further to select a model of the extreme fit. Risk Factors associated with MSDs in the final model with 95% bootstrap contained age (40.5%), gender (24.5%), education (5.2%), income satisfaction (10.6%), tool satisfaction (8.4%) and smoking (10.8%). Problem attentions to MSDs are identical in developed and newly industrialised countries. However, factors are not exact similar. Interventions targeted at manual activities for degrading risk factors that furnish to MSDs are necessary.
... 54 Thresher and fodder cutting machine injuries included 45% of patients aged 0-14 years resulting in crush injuries or amputations of the hand. 55 In a retrospective analysis, Huda and Wasim reported approximately 30% of fractures in 146 children with agriculture-related injuries. 56 Agarwal and Pruthi reported an incidence of 19% of open fractures related to bicycle and cycle rickshaw injuries, attributed to either cycle spokes or rear sprocket and chain. ...
Open fractures in children differ from adults owing to their better healing potential. Management strategies for open fracture in children are changing with improvement in our understanding of soft-tissue reconstruction and fracture fixation. A literature review was performed for articles covering management of open fractures in children. The cornerstones of management include prevention of infection, debridement, and skeletal stabilization with soft-tissue coverage. The injury should be categorized according to the established trauma classification systems. Timely administration of appropriate antibiotics is important for preventing infections. Soft-tissue management includes copious irrigation and debridement of the wound. Fractures can be stabilized by a variety of nonoperative and operative means, taking into consideration the special needs of the growing skeleton and the role of a thick and active periosteum in the healing of fractures. The soft-tissue coverage required depends on the grade of injury.
Agricultural activities vulnerabilities place the farmers at the potential risk of occurrence of injuries and musculoskeletal illness. Present study was focussed to suggest the ergonomic intervention to mitigate the most frequent and severe injury incidents. A two-member team visited sixty-five villages of six districts of Haryana state to elicit the information from 384 subjects. Each one of the subject was interviewed face to face and all the responses were recorded in the questionnaire. Questionnaire was designed to draw the information about the prevalence of various types of injury and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Out of total 221 injury cases, the highest cases (105) were reported for hand only. 76.2% of the total hand injuries were reported on the fingers during the sickle operation. In the record of one-year prevalence of MSDs symptoms by various anatomical area, 136 cases were reported about pain troubling the workers in the past one year. 55 number of cases associated with lower back problems whereas, 22 respondents showed the symptoms of chronic lower back pain. On the basis of interpretations and analyses of collected information, an ergonomic intervention in form of a finger protection guard for sickle operation was proposed to mitigate the concerned injuries.
Background:
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a group of non-fatal injuries that can occur as a result of various repetitive workplace activities, mainly in unorganized sectors. Workers who engage in highly repetitive activities involving constant hand effort, localized mechanical pressure, and vibration are more prone to developing these disorders.
Objective:
The objective of this research was to determine the prevalence of MSDs among workers in various unorganized sectors in India who perform hand-intensive occupations.
Method:
A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 340 workers from diverse groups such as sugarcane farmers, footwear industry workers, and tarpaulin weavers, to accomplish this goal. Data for the survey was collected using a questionnaire. Additionally, a comprehensive time study and a deep learning-based posture detection study were conducted on the different activities performed during the workers' occupational tasks. The chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between discomfort and work repetitiveness.
Result:
The data analysis revealed that the working activities (especially cutting/harvesting, rubber cutting, etc.) of unorganized sector workers were repetitive, with more than half of each activity’s work cycle involving a similar usage pattern. Furthermore, a significant association was observed between the level of discomfort and work repetitiveness among workers in different sectors (sugarcane farmers: p <0.01, footwear industry workers: p < 0.05, tarpaulin weavers: p < 0.05). Consequently, it can be concluded that prolonged occupational activities involving repetitive and prolonged standing may contribute to the occurrence of MSDs.
Conclusion:
Ergonomic interventions/modifications in the form of patent work will be necessary to prevent these issues in the near future.
Background
In developing countries, various farming activities are performed manually with the help of traditional hand tools. Therefore, agriculture is recognized as one of the risky occupations
Objective
This research study aims to identify the critical working conditions of wheat farmers in Rajasthan state, India.
Method
Data were collected through the survey conducted on 75 randomly selected wheat farmers of Rajasthan. The survey questionnaire gathered information related to demographic, occupational, and musculoskeletal discomfort faced by the farmers. In addition, a deep learning-based posture detection study of the workers was performed to assess the postural risks through a rapid upper limb assessment score.
Result
The collected data were analyzed further for fruitful insights. The survey outcomes showed that awkward posture (41%) and repetitive movement (35%) were the most reported reasons for the severe risks of musculoskeletal disorders among farmers. The posture evaluationbased study outcomes showed that approximately 51% of subjects lie in the action category 4, which shows the higher level of risks in the activities performed by farmers.
Conclusion
It is suggested to apply the principles of physical ergonomics in the agriculture sector and spread awareness among the farmers about the agriculture risks associated with farming activities.
Though the technological advancement in agriculture sector is enhancing the performance of workers, a lot of agricultural activities are predominantly carried out manually. In order to develop the ergonomically fit farm hand tools and equipment, region-specific body dimension data are required. In the present study, 18 body dimensions including age and weight are measured for 200 male agricultural workers from the five districts of Haryana state. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) for body weight and stature of the population is calculated as 67.5 ± 10.8 kg and 171.83 ± 6.22 cm, respectively. Average grip strength for dominant and opposite hand is found as 45.6 ± 7.2 kg and 44.06 ± 7.6 kg, respectively. A correlation coefficient matrix is developed and stature is observed to be highly correlated with other body dimensions. Linear regression equations are developed for those body dimensions which are highly correlated with stature, though a significant variation is observed among the morphological characteristics of Haryana population, other regions of India and the population of other nations as well. Hence, it recommends to modify or redesign the existing farm tools for the Haryana region using scientific principles of anthropometric database of farmers.
This E- training manual content covered the whole gamut of Ergonomics. The content covered: the Significance of Ergonomics for farm tools and machines; Anthropometry for design; Workspace designs and envelopes; Human physiology and assessment of work; Gender complaints farm tools and equipment; Ergonomics for mitigation of machine parameters; Instrumentation, tool and techniques for ergonomic assessment; Environment and occupational health: Assessment and interventions for Injury Prevention; Ergonomic intervention for fish processing: A case study; and Gender issues, the drudgery of women and specific technologies for women in agriculture. The lectures were delivered by eminent researchers who have worked in the field of Ergonomics for more than two decades. The resource persons were from ICAR-CIAE Bhopal, NERIST Nirjuli, MPUAT Udaipur, Guru Nanak dev University Amritsar, Dr. BSKV Dapoli and ICAR-IARI New Delhi.
It is a compilation of the lectures delivered as a ready reckoner for the students, researchers and professionals. This will benefit the students to understand ergonomics better, specifically applied to agricultural tools, machinery and operations. Hopefully, this will be useful to all those working in the field of agricultural engineering, family resource management and all others involved in applying ergonomics in agriculture and related areas.
Agricultural farming in India has been the most integral contributor to the growth and development of the country. The demand pushed the farmers to work in the fields beyond the recommended working age limit. The objective of the study was to address and rectify the different physiological and musculoskeletal disorders due to poor ergonomic postures in elderly female farmers. The survey was done on 35 elderly female participants. Analysis of the body postures has been done with the help of Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Modified Nordic questionnaires, direct observation, pictures, and videography were utilized to assess body discomfort. The result showed that most of the postures were risky and increased discomfort with pain in neck, upper and lower extremities. Handling load repeatedly were the key factors responsible for the ergonomic discomfort in the elderly female farmers.KeywordsElderlyMusculoskeletal disordersPostureAgricultureFarming
Occupational health and safety (OHS) has been a first-rate challenge globally spreading from commercial to agriculture sectors. A range of hazards having undesirable consequences are associated in farming like infection by pathogens, injuries from exposure, physiological disorders, poisoning, metabolism infections, and musculoskeletal disorders, etc. According to data from the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (CDC, 2013), agriculture is one of the three most dangerous occupations in terms of work-related injuries and diseases. This can be achieved in the agricultural sector, with special attention to health and safety issues in this sector (Jugmohan, 2013). The agricultural workers have to work in hazardous condition like exposure to sunlight, dust, dirt etc. while performing different activities like weeding, harvesting, threshing, de-husking, cleaning and packaging of crops. Many of them were not aware about the harmful effect created by strong UV light of the Sun and other microorganisms mixed with soil and also dust particles.
The agricultural occupation is considered labor-intensive because most tasks are performed manually using traditional farming hand tools. These hand tools are not designed ergonomically, resulting in excessive stress on workers and leading to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the body. This study aims to identify the agricultural risk factors associated with the prevalence of MSDs among farmers. Total one hundred and thirty six articles starting from the year 1985–2020 were searched through ePublishers (like Taylor & Francis, Science Direct and Springer) using the keywords such as agriculture, MSDs, ergonomics and productivity. Finally, thirty one articles were selected for the review study that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Through systematic literature review, it was found that along with the usage and design of hand tools, factors like a repetitive task, awkward postures, forceful exertion, vibration, and exposure to hot weather are mainly responsible for the work related injuries among farmers that leads to severe chronic pain and work disability of workers. Lower back pain, shoulder pain, and cervical pain are the most frequent occurring MSDs in farmers, which are recognized as crucial problems in the agriculture sector that are generally neglected. Hand tool design intervention is more effective in reducing the prevalence of work related injuries in farm workers. It is suggested to apply the principles of physical ergonomics not only in the agriculture sector but also in other industries where traditional tools and working methods are being used.
Purpose
We aim to investigate nature, risk factors as well as magnitude of farm injuries and fatalities among agricultural workers in rural India.
Methods
An Agricultural Injury Study (AIS) was conducted using selected 1703 villages in eight states of rural India based on statistical consideration using unstructured proforma for 3086 victims/respodents, who were mostly agricultural workers or farmers. Injury incidence rate (IIR) was estimated per 1000 machines/tools per year for farm machinery and hand tools injuries, and per 100 000 workers per year for other sources. Questions about the injuries involved in farming tasks were used.
Results
About 36.2% fatalities were caused by farm machinery that involves tractors. The IIR per year of farm machinery, hand tools and injuries due to other sources were 3.2 per 1000 machines, 0.7 per 1000 tools and 77 per 100 000 workers, respectively. Correlation between number of injury-prone agricultural machines and number of farm machinery injury is r=0.80 (number of injuries increases with increase in number of machines). The χ²=72.53; p<0.01 of number of hand tools and number of farm hand tools-related injuries, that is, they are statistically significant.
Conclusion
Exposures to agricultural machineries during farming operations can result in injuries confounding that may be fatal or non-fatal. Mapping down the cause and taking preventive measure to reduce the losses are of major concern. Also, customised safety programme as well as legislative awareness is needed to be raised for the higher injury incidence group.
This paper presents the work carried out to design a manual weeder used for dryland crops by using manual power. There are several types of such devices, but there is nowhere a proper way of designing this equipment. The designing of the weeder was carried out by calculating forces on tines and power developed by the operator. In this weeder, the power of the man can be utilized using these small devices and the output can be increased and these devices are very useful for lowland as well as upland conditions, dryland conditions, and for small farms because about 60% of the farms particularly in India are small farms. A prototype has been built and experiments performed which adequately indicates that the weeder gives good results when weeding operation was done within 15–20 days after sowing of seeds because the size of weeds was 2–5 cm.KeywordsWeedsDesignWeederManually operated weederDryland
Agriculture assumes an imperative role in the development of Indian economy, and it additionally contributes around 15% to the nation's GDP, offering work chances to around half of its population. Diverse devices and supplies implied for farming machines are utilized in farming processes which are either manually or mechanically operated. In spite of the fact that there have been advancements in new technologies, sustainability is the most important issue in farming. Modern farming process and advanced machineries have solved OHS (occupational health and safety) problems of farming. But modern equipment's smoke, dust, chemicals, and fertilizers both in manual-driven farming and modern farming are major environmental issues. So in this chapter, sustainability issues in farming are prioritized such that the policies, equipment, and process must be modified.
Agriculture plays a vital role in the development of the Indian economy, and in addition, it contributes around 15% to the nation's GDP. Manually- or mechanically-operated diverse devices and supplies implied for farming machines are utilized in farming process. Still, sustainability is the most important issue in farming. Modern equipment smoke, dust, chemicals, and fertilizers both in manual-driven farming and modern farming are major environmental issues. So, in this chapter, sustainability issues in farming are studied, and a linear relationship between them can be found by interpretive structural modelling, such that the Micmac analysis and model can be developed for barriers of agricultural sector sustainability.
This chapter deals with the problems associated with ergonomic risks as well as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among the farmers along with possible measures through the application of “Internet of Things (IoT)” in agricultural machinery. With an in-depth review of literature with regard to the existing cultivation practices and the benefits of IoT utilization in agricultural sectors in the developing as well as under-developed countries, the “strength, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats (SWOT)” analysis was used for evaluating the benefits of utilizing IoT in agriculture by considering two cases such as the “conventional agriculture-based machinery” and the “IoT-based agricultural machinery”. Further, in view of the requirements of small-scale farmers, an IoT-based agricultural machinery was proposed and its performance was evaluated with respect to field applications.
Ergonomics is one of the emerging fields of interest for the researchers of the twenty-first century but is being incorporated into unusual traits of human life from the period of prehistoric Greek civilization. On the former, it has been tried to present how Greeks have used ergonomics in the manufacture of various products. Later on, during the twentieth century, there have been many changes in the application of ergonomics in different aspects of the product design. In this paper, an attempt has been made to represent how ergonomics in product design has changed its face from the prehistoric Greek civilization to the present age and what are the future trends of ergonomic developments in product design.
Manual farming tools must match the body characteristics of the workers for their safety and performance. With this objective to serve in the present study, 18 body dimensions were measured including age and mass for 200 male farmers from the five districts of Haryana. Handle design of spade and sickle was suggested following the measured body characteristics. Biomechanical study was conducted to evaluate the compression loading at L4–L5 of five subjects using newly designed spade and pre-existing spade alternately. A similar virtual environment was developed in the CATIA-V5 to examine the compression loading at L4–L5. The results obtained were compared using t test, which show a significant reduction in compression forces at L4–L5 for p < 0.05.
PurposeThe aim of the retrospective study is to conduct an epidemiological evaluation of farm-based/farm-related maxillofacial injuries to assess the pattern and severity of maxillofacial injuries sustained and to formulate prevention strategies.Materials & Method
In this analytical retrospective study, records/case sheets of patients presenting with trauma sustained in farm-based settings in a government hospital catering to rural and semi-urban population from January 2014 to Dec 2017 were analyzed to assess the incidence, pattern, etiology and trauma configurations of maxillofacial injuries sustained.ResultsOut of a total of 11,736 trauma cases, 2484 patients suffered injuries in farm-based settings. Out of these, 334 patients had maxillofacial injuries. Mandibular condylar fracture along with parasymphysis fracture was the most common fracture configuration. Injuries while working with non-motorized machinery followed by working around farm livestock were the most common etiological factors in farm-related trauma.Conclusion
Maxillofacial injuries account for a significant percentage of injuries suffered in a farm-related environment. Through this study, we have identified the patterns of maxillofacial injuries occurring in such an environment, and the data thus obtained can be used to develop various ergonomic and safety interventions in terms of machinery design and handling along with implementation of training programs and enforcing strict safety guidelines to minimize maxillofacial trauma in farm-based settings.
A survey was carried out to study and collect data about the agricultural farmer injuries of Odisha in India. Five villages with major population with farming as occupation were selected. A total of 145 farmers were selected for the study. It was found that, the number of accidents by hand tools such as spades, plain edge sickles, serrated sickles, and shovels were 13 (16.45%), 6 (7.59%), 11 (13.92%), and 7 (8.86%), respectively. Also, it was observed that maximum number of male and female farmers who were victims of agricultural injury were in the age group of 31 to 45. A smaller number of injured farmers were found in the age group of 18 to 30. Factor analysis followed by the SWARA method was used to rank the important variables which were found as the causes for agricultural accidents or injuries by the responses obtained through questionnaires. Finally, QFD & Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and MICMAC analysis was performed, to frame design requirements in the form of safety requirements.
Occupational safety is a big issue of discussion for agricultural workers. The methods of working in the field in extreme climate totally depends on the environmental factor. Due to change in weather conditions, prices at the time of harvest could drop, hired labour may not be available at peak times, machinery and equipment could break down when most needed, animals might die, and government policy can change overnight. All of these changes are examples of the risks that farmers face in managing their farm as a business. All of these risks affect their farm profitability. Heavy rains and drought could also damage or even wipe out crops. Another source of production risk is equipment. The most common sources of risk factor are weather, climate, diseases, natural disasters, and market and environmental factor shocks. Agricultural workers need sufficient precaution and safety measures at the time of field and machine work to minimize risk factor. So, in this chapter, an effort is taken to prioritize safety majors by MAUT method.
Agriculture plays a vital role in the development of the Indian economy, and in addition, it contributes around 15% to the nation's GDP. Manually- or mechanically-operated diverse devices and supplies implied for farming machines are utilized in farming process. Still, sustainability is the most important issue in farming. Modern equipment smoke, dust, chemicals, and fertilizers both in manual-driven farming and modern farming are major environmental issues. So, in this chapter, sustainability issues in farming are studied, and a linear relationship between them can be found by interpretive structural modelling, such that the Micmac analysis and model can be developed for barriers of agricultural sector sustainability.
Modern agricultural practices have unleashed multiple adverse consequences
with respect to the environment, health, and in several other areas of human wellbeing
across the globe, which has come to be recognized widely.
Agriculture lacks organizational frameworks which are needed for OHS management techniques to operate effectively. Thus, it becomes essential to analyze the magnitude of OHS problems within the agricultural sector. Hence, an attempt was made in this study to explore the prevalence of OHS disorders and discomforts among the farmers of Odisha in India. There are three contributions in this study. At first, OHS issues of farmers were analyzed based on the literature review and the data was collected by personal interaction and questionnaires. In the second part, the “Best Worst Method (BWM)” was used to rank the different rice farming processes, and the different occupational disorders and discomforts, respectively. Furthermore, the RULA tool was used to assess the ergonomics involved in various postures taken by farmers in different rice farming processes, and based on the obtained RULA scores the necessary actions were recommended accordingly. The findings in this study may have positive implications for extension programs and policy formulation in agricultural sectors.
Rate of accidents at workplaces in Pakistan is high and investigations post
accidents remain superficial. These investigations identify only one of the
operators/workers or machine failure as the cause. They refrain from looking
deeper and addressing the system-related flaws. Only few sectors are covered
by health and safety-related laws: Safety in Drilling & Production Regulation
(1974), Pakistan Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Ordinance (1984),
and Regulations (1990). It is to be hoped that the recently enacted Punjab
Occupational Safety and Health Law of 2016 will lead the way in lowering
occupational safety and health (OHS) risks in Pakistan. The agricultural sector reports of almost half of the occupational injuries and
accidents, and in Pakistan. , Sugarcane cultivation stands out with a particular
high level of injuries. Injuries are especially pronounced in the processing stage
of sugarcane. We have therefore chosen to investigate the risk levels at six sugar
mills. While the number of injuries declined in the first decade of the current
millennium, they nevertheless remained quite high. Differences among the
sugar mills allow for the identification of better practices.The chapter begins with a general overview of OHS deficit in Pakistan, followed by the results from our case study on sugar mills. The chapter concludes with OHS recommendations.
Agriculture assumes an imperative role in the development of Indian economy, and it additionally contributes around 15% to the nation's GDP, offering work chances to around half of its population. Diverse devices and supplies implied for farming machines are utilized in farming processes which are either manually or mechanically operated. In spite of the fact that there have been advancements in new technologies, sustainability is the most important issue in farming. Modern farming process and advanced machineries have solved OHS (occupational health and safety) problems of farming. But modern equipment's smoke, dust, chemicals, and fertilizers both in manual-driven farming and modern farming are major environmental issues. So in this chapter, sustainability issues in farming are prioritized such that the policies, equipment, and process must be modified.
Farming provides food, which is the primary need of each and every person, and also provides employment to farmers. Still it is a non-profitable and neglected occupation. Maximum health injuries are observed during field work due to extreme climates and dusty atmosphere. Use of old hand tools and no availability of modernized tools are the cause of 70% of injuries. Although the farming sector plays a vital role on Indian economy, it remains undeveloped and unattractive. The Indian government is also framing many policies for the farmers (i.e., small/nominal farmers), but farming in states like Odisha remains undeveloped. So, in this chapter, a survey is conducted to find the health-related injuries of farmers of Odisha and then a framework is designed by QFD (quality function deployment) to suggest how to avoid injuries and provide occupational safety measures for farmers.
Introduction
Agricultural injuries are an important factor in mortality and morbidity for populations of preadolescents globally. Working preadolescents in agricultural sector are exposed to occupational risks and injury in India.
Objective
This study mainly assesses the nature of injuries among the preadolescent agricultural workers of West Bengal, India.
Methods
The survey was done by collecting the data on agricultural injuries from the Hooghly district of West Bengal. The injury data for 7 years between years 2010 and 2016 were collected by conducting a survey and personal interviews with the victims. The questionnaire-based approach was used for data collection information on the injury characteristics.
Results
The agricultural injury incident rate was 8.99 (male) and 7.89 (female) per 1000 workers/year. The leading causes of farm injuries were hand tools (65.7%). The most frequently involved tools were spades and sickles. The main cause of hand tool injuries was repetitive work, which lead to fatigue and slippage of hand tools from the hand. The study indicated that preadolescent workers are highly prone to injuries in their occupation, mostly affecting the toes (27.8% and 26.3%) and fingers (24.8% and 25%) in both male and female preadolescents, which consequently affected their health, productivity and work performance.
Conclusion
This study concludes that (1) agricultural injuries affecting different body parts such as toes, fingers, feet and ankles. (2) Occurrence of injuries was much higher among males than females. (3) Hand tools accounted for the majority of injuries followed by farm machinery. (4) Cut injuries are the main ones followed by lacerations, abrasions, sprains and contusions.
A study was carried out in Madhya Pradesh (Central India) to collect data on injury-causing agricultural incidents during the period 1995-1999. The overall incidence rate was 1.25/1000 workers/year. About 9.2% of the incidents were fatal, and most of the fatal incidents were due to tractors and snakebites (42.9% each). About 77.6% of all incidents were due to farm machinery, 11.8% were due to hand tools, and the remaining 10.6% were due to other sources like snakes, wells, etc. Data on 1,911 incidents reported in 10 leading newspapers published during the five-year period (1995-1999) from different regions of the state were also collected and analyzed, which indicated that only major or roadside agricultural incidents were reported in newspapers. Based on the survey data, it was estimated that in the year 2000 there would have been about 17,480 agricultural incidents in Madhya Pradesh, causing death to about 2,050 workers and injuries to about 16,770 workers, including amputations of limbs, burns, cuts, etc. Total monetary loss due to agricultural injuries in the state of Madhya Pradesh has been estimated as US $27 million/year.
A vast majority of the world's workers are employed in agricultural activities and are exposed to a wide variety of hazards. Since agriculture is primarily decentralised activity, it is often difficult to set and implement work safety norms and standards. While standards can be set for equipment manufactured in large factories, it is not easy to monitor its condition in use. For equipment fabricated in small workshops or by the farmers themselves, it becomes very difficult to ensure that design standards are adhered to especially when the users of equipment are hired labourers on daily wages.This paper presents the results of an epidemiological study to determine the main causes of injuries among farmers in nine villages in the state of Haryana in Northern India. The study revealed that the largest number of traumatic injuries are caused by fodder cutting machines and threshers. The designs of these machines have been made safer using ergonomics principles. A large number of minor injuries are caused by hand tools.
An experiment was designed using muscle electromyography to determine if an optimum cylindrical handle size exists. The experiment had two phases. One phase was concerned with an experimental task of gripping a cylindrical handle and performing a simple task routine to evaluate the optimum handle size. The other phase was concerned with a fatigue test utilizing the same cylindrical handles. The experimental variables wore: hand size, weight resistance, and cylindrical handle diameter.Findings indicate that generally the 20 in. diameter handle showed lowest EMG activity. The 1-5 in. diameter handle was found to be the optimum handle size based on the ratio between force applied and the EMG activity measured. The 1.5 in. diameter handle was found to provide the maximum number of completed task cycles before the onset of fatigue.
The ideal diameter for a tool handle for males and females has been determined using an existing biomechanical model of the hand validated in previous works. The model estimates a 33-mm optimum diameter tool handle for the general population (males and females). When the optimum diameter for a tool handle is selected, the muscles exert the minimum force needed to hold the tool and perform gripping activities. Optimal handle design reduces the force required for gripping a tool, protects the underlying joint structures, and reduces the risk of developing cumulative trauma associated with repetitive task requiring high grip forces and awkward postures. This article provides a design parameter for optimal tool diameter to aid the therapist in the selection of assistive devices, built-up handles, or for the fabrication of a tool handle.
In Indian agriculture, hand tools, animal-drawn equipment and tractor/power operated machinery are extensively used for various operations. These equipments are either operated or controlled by human workers. Use of anthropometric data can help in the proper design of equipment for better efficiency and more human comfort. Earlier anthropometric surveys carried out in the country were very few and inadequate for use in farm machinery design. Therefore, 52 body dimensions necessary for the design of these equipments were identified and a sample study was conducted on 39 farm workers. The collected anthropometric data were analysed to calculate mean, range, standard deviation and 5th, 50th and 95th percentile values. Through some examples, an effort is made here to illustrate the use of the data in the design of farm equipment. It has now been proposed that extensive surveys should be carried out in different regions of the country to generate the necessary data useful in farm machinery design.
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