Abstract:This study was done with the aim to identify the specific ergonomic risk factors in the workplace affecting the both male and female workers while doing raw brick making activities and to analyze the pain/discomfort related to it. Twenty male and twenty female workers from the raw brick making unit were randomly selected and a detailed ergonomic risk factors were analyzed with the help of NIOSH Ergonomic Hazard Identification checklist. The questions were based on the primary job responsibility of the workers. Data revealed that nearly 8 percent males and 10 percent females were in 'usually' category, 25 percent males and 28 percent females in 'sometimes' and approximately 18 percent male and 13 percent females who never performed the task were kept in the category 'never'. It was found that all the male and female workers usually require exerting force with their hands and used the hand tools to do the task. About 8 percent males and 5 percent females were usually, 15 percent male and only 10 percent female were sometimes and 28 percent males and 35 percent female were never stood continuously for a period of more than 30 minutes. On the whole all the male and female respondents were lifting or lowering the objects between floor and waist height or shoulder height and most of the workers were becoming exposed to the vibration while performing the task and they were carrying the weight more than 50 lb. The study indicates that the majority of the activities are in the high risk category and demands immediate ergonomic intervention in the form of tool, workstation and process design.

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The main objectives of this study were to identify the most problematic postures in brick making tasks performed by workers through application of the OWAS (Ovako Working Posture Analysis System) method, and to help them for improvement of working method and workplaces. Owing to poor socioeconomic conditions they are compelled to carry out a considerable number of manual, rigorous tasks in brick factories. Twenty construction workers, ten male and ten female, from five brick making industries participated in the field study. The brick making tasks observed during the two-month period included digging clay, loading clay, unloading clay, mixing clay etc. Of all the observations, poor working postures were observed most frequently in digging clay, crushing clay, mixing clay loading to the wheelbarrow, loading and unloading to the truck. And all these indicating that these postures should be corrected either soon or immediately. It was observed that workers who worked continuously in awkward postures during certain raw brick making activities consequently they suffered from discomfort in different parts of their body. Even though they were young, they were likely to suffer from serious musculoskeletal disorders in the future in the brick factory there is a need of immediate corrective measures. Though the OWAS method for postural data analysis proved to be a very useful way to reduce postural load of dynamic brick making tasks, and allowed for efficient application of the original OWAS method.

Cobbling or shoe-repairing is one of the aged old occupations belonging to unorganized sector. Majority of workers are dependent on this occupation for livelihood. The cobblers work in sitting position mainly on the busy routes with congested surroundings. The present study was conducted among 100 cobblers working in Uttarakhand State, India with an objective to find out the musculoskeletal pain or discomfort faced by them during their work. The data was collected using Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Results revealed that the cobblers suffered from pain or discomforts in different body regions especially lower back, neck and lower leg. Sitting with folded legs and continuous bending of neck during work were the major reasons of pain/discomfort. Various muscle relaxing exercises can help the cobblers to overcome the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Further, an ergonomic workstation design will help in improving their workplace wellbeing.

:Household waste refers to waste material usually generated in the residential environment. Indiscriminate dumping, irregular collection, poor storage and inadequate resources are the main problems associated with improper handling of household waste. This leads to various health related problems like cholera, dysentery, typhoid etc. and also have a negative impact on the environment by polluting land, air and water. So there is a need to manage the domestic household waste in such a way that it in will lead to a safe and healthy environment. A descriptive research design was chosen for the study. A pre-coded interview schedule, knowledge and awareness scales was used to gather the required information. The collected data was tabulated and analyzed with the help of descriptive and statistical analysis.