Ergonomic investigations on fatigue and musculoskeletal discomforts of submersible pump assembly workers

Abstract

Manufacturing workers are exposed to many physical tasks during newlinetheir work that require repetitive movements, forceful exertions and handling newlineof components at different working heights. Due to variation of working newlineheights in the tasks, workers may adapt extended or overhead postures that newlinegenerate adverse responses like fatigue and musculoskeletal discomforts. The newlineworking height is an external exposure of work that forces the worker to newlineadapt extended or overhead posture, which is an internal exposure. The newlineadverse responses that develop among workers due to the exposures lead to newlineMusculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). The research reported here has been newlinecarried out in Submersible Bore-Well Pump (SBWP) assembly task in which newlinethe workers adapt extended or overhead postures during their work. newlineIn this research, the development of fatigue and musculoskeletal newlinediscomforts in SBWP assembly workers has been investigated. The research newlinehas devised strategies to reduce these adverse responses. The adverse newlineresponses among SBWP assembly workers have been assessed based on newlineexternal exposures of the task. The external exposures considered in this newlineresearch are working height, work duration, work cycles and workplace newlinedesign. The research has also explored relevance of effect modifiers like age, newlineexperience and Body Mass Index (BMI) of workers in generating adverse newlineresponses. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used in these newlineinvestigations. newline newline