A Study on Upper Extremity Cumulative Trauma Disorder in Different Unorganised Sectors of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) is a term used to describe a class of soft tissue injuries and disorders that are caused, precipitated or aggravated by a number of occupational activities. These disorders are frequently observed among workers who perform hand intensive jobs 1) . Occupational exposures such as highly repetitive hand exertions, vibrations and localized mechanical pressure are considered to be factors contributing to the occurrence of CTD 2) . CTDs develop over time due to repetitive stress applied to a joint, typically the upper extremities 3,4) . The association of CTDs with various industrial works has been found in the UK. The study revealed that upper limb disorders rank second only to back complaints in various work organization in the UK. It was also reported that among workers, who were exposed to repetitive work for a long time, the occurrence of CTD was found to be very high 5) . In developing countries like India, no attention is given to the health and safety of the workers in unorganized sectors. No previous study on CTD has been performed in India by the government or any private organization, so that these people in unorganized sectors, working in highly repetitive job, remain deprived of the opportunity to work in better environmental conditions. According to Silverstein 6) an activity is said to be repetitive if 50% of the work cycle involves similar motion patterns.In the present investigation, an attempt was made to determine the prevalence of CTD among workers in hand intensive jobs in unorganized sectors in India and to highlight the unsafe working conditions to which these workers are being exposed for years.Received Dec 24, 2002; Accepted Sep 4, 2003

An Ergonomics Study on Posture-Related Discomfort and Occupational-Related Disorders Among Stonecutters of West Bengal, India

“…This result corroborated the studies of Garg [16], Gangopadhyay, Ray, Das, et al [17] and Gangopadhyay, Das, Das, et al [18]. According to Garg, severe discomfort or pain was due to heavy spinal loading and repetitive movement of body parts over an extended period [16].…”

“…According to Garg, severe discomfort or pain was due to heavy spinal loading and repetitive movement of body parts over an extended period [16]. The feeling of discomfort (pain) in different parts of the body among the workers may be due to their prolonged working hours and repetitiveness of the work; which may lead to MSD [17]. Gangopadhyay et al also showed previously that continuous bending posture, led workers to suffer from acute pain and discomfort for a long period of time, which mainly led to severe pain and MSD [18].…”

Assessment of Ergonomic and Occupational Health-Related Problems Among Female Prawn Seed Collectors of Sunderbans, West Bengal, India

“…Almost all subjects suffered from discomfort in different body parts caused by prolonged working hours, constant awkward postures and repetitiveness of the work. Repetitiveness of the work, prolonged working hours and awkward body postures during work may also lead to MSD [14,15,16]. From the observation of the working conditions of the experimental group, it is evident that female prawn seed collectors work in unfavorable conditions; they have to travel a long distance dragging hand-operated nets forwards and backwards through 0.46-metre-deep sticky mud and salty water.…”

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder: An occupational disorder of the goldsmiths in India

“…This may have lead to the development of different kinds of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among them (Gangopadhyay et al . )(1) (Ijadunola et al . )(2) observed that poorly designed workstation promote unnecessary physical efforts, which reduce efficiency and productivity also.…”