Participatory Ergonomic Interventions for Improving Agricultural Work Environment: A Case Study in a Farming Organization of Korea

Abstract

Farmers are often exposed to risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders through lifting, carrying heavy loads, and sustained or repeated full-body bending. Several relevant studies on ergonomic interventions have been conducted for specific agricultural tasks, such as harvesting and pruning, by experts without involving farmers. This study introduces ergonomic interventions to mitigate risk factors in a farming organization that cultivates peaches as the main crop based on ergonomic analysis of the entire peach farming cycle; subjective and objective evaluations of the proposed interventions are also performed. The ergonomic analysis and interventions were established based on consultations provided by an ergonomist, the government, and the organization members. Engineering controls were introduced for powered carts, sorters, and stools to reduce load carrying and awkward postures; moreover, thermal or cooling vests, winter shoes and gloves, and farmer hats were provided to alleviate cold or heat stresses. Administrative controls such as education/training and adjusting work–rest cycles were also recommended after considering the characteristics of the risk factors identified. The scores of the questionnaire survey from the organization members were high (>4.1 out of 5 for five questions), and postural loads for unstable postures by RULA were significantly reduced so as to avoid fast or immediate changes for the postures or working methods assessed. The study results are expected to help promote farmers’ health and enhance farming efficiency.

Ergonomic Factors Which Affect the Work Productivity of Clove Flower Harvesters

“…X7 (social conditions) was determined by X71 (work relations) at 0.797, X72 (work motivation) at 0.930 (the greatest), and X73 (wages) at 0.454 (the smallest). These outcomes were consistent with the research by [45], where it was concluded that job satisfaction, work environment, and work motivation significantly impact employee performance. External Factor X8 (information condition) was affected by X81 (ease of distinguishing harvested clove flowers) at 0.982 (the greatest), X82 (ease of seeing clove flowers) at 0.004, and X83 (ease of reach) at -0.079.…”

“…The design of Korean melon harvesting equipment was made by taking into account the product's physical characteristics and the workers' anthropometry. It also effectively reduced postural loads and increased job satisfaction of farmers in a city in southern Korea [45]. Research [61] from 1995 to 2020 found 221 studies related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in agricultural work, which were generally reported by developed countries, and only a few countries paid attention.…”

Ergonomic Intervention Practice at the Workplace in Asian boundary: A systematic review

“…Findings from the synthesis analysis indicated that ergonomic interventions have been frequently employed in Asian countries via three distinct approaches: device or tool-based interventions, administrative interventions, and a combination of both. As shown in Table 4, seven articles explored the utilization of devices or tools as a means of ergonomic intervention (Alipour et al, 2021;Antwi-Afari et al, 2021;Arunkumar et al, 2019;Darliana et al, 2020;Kong et al, 2023;Mohammad Yusof et al, 2021;Ramdan & Candra, 2021), seven articles focused on the use of administration (Alghadir et al, 2021;Anshasi et al, 2022;Dhole et al, 2021;Heidarimoghadam et Hijam et al, 2020;Lin et al, 2022;Rahman et al, 2019), and eight articles used a combination of both approaches (Esmaeili et al, 2023;Kee, 2022;Motamedzadeh et al, 2021;Rostami et al, 2022;So et al, 2019;Susihono & Adiatmika, 2021;Susihono & Gede, 2020;Yang et al, 2021).…”

“…Due to the increasing prevalence of WRMSDs in the workplace, ergonomic intervention is particularly important as a preventive measure (Rostami et al, 2022). To reduce the effect of WRMSDs, several research employed administrative and engineering terms (Kee, 2022), physical and administrative interventions (Motamedzadeh et al, 2021), as well as engineering and training interventions (Esmaeili et al, 2023). These aspects are described in this review using the terms 'application of devices or tools' and 'administrative approach'.…”

Study of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Farmers Involved in Manual Paddy Bagging Task

“…Singh et al (2016), found that carrying on head was the most common practice while back loading of filled bags is practiced for heavier loads by Indian farmers. Manual activities such as lifting, carrying heavy loads involving the back, head and shoulders are associated with spinal MSDs (Benos et al, 2020) and other MSDs among farmers (Benos et al, 2020;Kee, 2022). Heavy carrying and lifting during rice crop cultivation caused MSDs among Thai rice farmers.…”