Vol. 7, Issue 4 (2019)
Ergonomic assessment of manual maize stalk harvesting
Author(s): Kamendra, SS Meena, AK Mehta and NL Panwar
Abstract: Manual harvesting of maize stalks by sickle involves repeated bending, stretching and standing postures while operation. The subject has to harvest the crop from the bottom of stalks which involve repeated bending posture and harvested stalk should be leaves as swaths in the field which involve repeated standing and stretching postures. Harvesting of maize by sickle is very drudgery prone and causes pain in different region of subject body. The aim of study is to conduct the ergonomical assesment of different subjects during the harvesting of stalk. The parameters Heart rate (HR), Oxygen consumption rate (OCR), Overall discomfort rate (ODR), Body part discomfort score (BPDS) and Postural assessment (REBA) are considered during the ergonomical assessment of subjects. Physiological responses (HR and OCR) values are falls under “moderate heavy†category. Average ODR score is 4.1 which comes into moderately painful category. BPDS score showed a range of 18.4 to 46.0 with mean value of 35.7. The majority of discomfort experienced by the workers was in the right elbow, right arm, lower back, right shoulder, knee and leg of subjects. The average REBA score obtained was 11.6 harvesting which results in very high risk levels. It was suggested that the manual harvesting of maize stalk was drudgery prone and change must be needed.
Pages: 3009-3014 | 273 Views 104 Downloads
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How to cite this article:
Kamendra, SS Meena, AK Mehta, NL Panwar. Ergonomic assessment of manual maize stalk harvesting. Int J Chem Stud 2019;7(4):3009-3014.
