Work-related injuries among farm workers engaged in agricultural operations in India: a cross-sectional study.

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.

Optimum handle height for animal-drawn mould board plough.

In Indian agriculture, animal-drawn equipment is widely used for various field operations. The user exercises control via the handle, and its height affects the work performance as well as the operator's comfort. This paper reports an investigation for finding the optimum handle height for an animal-drawn mould board plough. Experiments studied postural discomfort and physiological reactions of the operators at six handle heights. Downward force applied by the operator on the handle, and depth and speed of operation, were also recorded. Based on these data, the optimum handle height for a mould board plough is between 732 mm and 842 mm for Indian workers. For a fixed handle, a height of 770 mm is recommended.

Anthropometric survey for agricultural machinery design: an Indian case study.

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.

Ergonomics evaluation of a lever-operated knapsack sprayer.

The lever-operated knapsack sprayer, a manually operated piece of equipment, is widely used by Indian farmers for the application of agricultural chemicals. The study reported here is an ergonomics evaluation of one model of this type of sprayer. Data on 18 body dimensions and the shape of the back were collected for 10 subjects and their relevance in sprayer design are discussed. During the operation of this sprayer, the mean heart rate, oxygen uptake and energy expenditure of the subjects were 94.6 beats/min, 0.454 1/min and 9.48 kJ/min, respectively. The mean overall discomfort ratings were 3.4, 5.0 and 5.7 (on 0-7 discomfort scale) and the mean body part discomfort scores were ,65.8, 93.8 and 89.1 (according to the technique described by Corlett and Bishop (1976)) at the end of first, second and third fill, respectively. The maximum discomfort was experienced at the left clavicle region, followed by lower back, neck, left thigh and right clavicle. The study indicated that though the workload in the spraying operation was within acceptable limits according to physiological criteria, there is a need to make improvements in the mounting of the sprayer on the operator's back to reduce the postural discomfort.

Tractor controls actuating force limits for Indian operators.

In four-wheel tractors, proper design of controls is important for comfortable and safe operation of the tractor. The design involves location and dimensions of controls as well as strength limits for operating these controls. The present study was aimed to quantify human strength for operation of tractor controls and to recommend the maximum control actuating forces for normal operation of tractors based on strength capability of 3,423 Indian male agricultural workers. The 5th percentile values of strength parameters i.e. leg strength sitting (left and right), foot strength sitting (right), torque strength (both hands) sitting, push strength (left hand and right hand) sitting and pull strength (left hand and right hand) sitting of agricultural workers collected using a strength measurement set-up were taken into consideration for the study. It was recommended that the maximum actuating forces for normal operation of frequently operated brake and clutch pedals of tractors should not exceed 260 N and 125 N based on 5th percentile values of right and left leg strength of male agricultural workers, respectively. The maximum actuating force required in steering wheel operation should not exceed 51 N based on 5th percentile value of torque strength (both hands) sitting of workers. The maximum actuating forces required for operating frequently operated levers viz. gear selection, speed selection, hydraulic control and hand throttle of Indian tractors should not exceed 46 N, 46 N, 25 N and 25 N, respectively. It may be concluded that the maximum actuating force limits as given in Bureau of Indian Standards IS 10703 are very high as compared to the findings of the study based on strength data of Indian male operators, which highlight the need to revise the standard.

Optimum handle height for an animal-drawn blade harrow.

A blade harrow is a tillage implement commonly used by the farmers of Central and Western India. The handle is one of the main components of a blade harrow and its height has an influence on operator's comfort as well as work performance. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the optimum handle height for an animal-drawn blade harrow. Two experiments were conducted with four male subjects to study postural discomfort and physiological reactions separately at six handle heights. Downward force applied by the operator on handle, and depth and speed of operation were also recorded. The lowest postural discomfort was noticed at handle height equal to 1.0 metacarpale III height. Here, the overall discomfort rating was 2.4 on an eight point psychophysical rating scale (0 = no discomfort, 7 = extreme discomfort) and the body part discomfort score was 16.3 (the maximum being 53.8 at working height equal to 1.6 metacarpale III height). The mean heart rate and oxygen consumption at this handle height were 103.9 beats/min and 0.536l/min, respectively. Considering the data of postural discomfort and also of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the optimum handle height for the animal-drawn blade harrow worked out to be equal to 1.0 metacarpale III height, i.e. 637 to 732 mm (5th and 95th percentile values respectively, of metacarpale III height of Indian agricultural workers).

Agricultural injuries in Central India: nature, magnitude, and economic impact.

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.