Working Hazards and Health Problems among Rubber Farmers in Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the working hazards and health problems among rubber farmers in the southern part of Thailand. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was employed to identify the workers’ working hazards and health problems, workers’ postures, and the measurement of the intensity of light, lung function, and eye vision. Results indicated that 45.5 % of the rubber farmers were exposed to a chemical substance, 87 % were exposed to a scorpion, and 27.6 % had a high job strain. Furthermore, 43.8 % of the rubber farmers had a high ergonomic risk when collecting the rubber latex. However, the intensity of the headlamp had met the standard. Findings also revealed some common health problems among rubber farmers. These were musculoskeletal disorders (87.7 %), depression symptoms (15.7 %), and hand eczema (8.9 %). Additionally, nearly half of the Thai rubber farmers had an accident at work (45.1 %, while 22 % reported to have bitten by a poisonous animal. Lastly, 78.4 % of the rubber farmers had a low level of visual requirement and half of them had an abnormal lung function (57.2 %). These findings suggest a need for work process modifications to prevent health hazard in Thai rubber farmers.

Ergonomic Assessment pada Aktivitas Petani Perkebunan Karet Menggunakan OWAS (Ovako Work Posture Analysis System) (Studi Kasus CV. Eja Nursery, Kalimantan Timur)

“…Keluhan sampai kerusakan inilah yang umumnya diistilahkan menggunakan musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) [4]. Penelitian terdahulu pada petani karet di Thailand Selatan menunjukkan bahwa petani karet mengalami prevalensi MSDs sebesar 87,7% [5].…”

“…Selain itu, evaluasi postur kerja petani di Desa Beringin, Lampung menggunakan metode REBA menunjukkan juga bahwa tingkat risiko ergonomi pada semua proses pekerjaan petani karet di Desa Beringin Jaya Way Tuba kabupaten Way Kanan Propinsi Lampung mendapatkan level risiko tinggi sampai sangat tinggi [15]. Hal yang sama juga dialami petani karet di Kolumbia dengan metode OWAS [16] dan Thailand [5]. Berdasarkan hasil pengolahan data pada Tabel 4 terlihat bahwa hampir seluruh postur kerja bagian punggung pada petani karet yaitu membungkuk ke depan.…”

Predictors of Low Back Pain Risk among Rubber Harvesters

“…A tapping knife is used to cut the tree bark downward at a 30-degree angle along a left-to-right oblique curve that cuts through the latex vessels. Most of the rubber farmers are also exposed to ergonomic hazards since their job entails repetitive tapping movements, which is often repeated hundreds of times per day in awkward postures of the upper limbs, shoulder, neck, trunk, knee, and legs [ 23 , 24 ]. In the process of harvesting the crops, rubber farmers need to be in other awkward postures such as bending down, twisting, turning the body to lean 15–30 degrees along the rubber tree, squatting in the low front tire tapping, standing, and walking for a long time according to the number of rubber trees that are about 700 per 8000–16,000 m 2 , lifting and moving heavy products ( Figure 1 ).…”