Ergonomic assessment of traditional and improved methods of paddy threshing for drudgery reduction of hill region

Abstract

To compare paddy threshing activity undertaken by farm women, an ergonomics study using four methods, viz. traditional method, thresher cum winnower, VL paddy thresher and motorized thresher, was taken up. Although paddy threshing by using wooden plank is popular among small and marginal farmers of hill region and about nine percent of paddy is lost due to use of this outdated method therefore time saving motorized thresher was developed. Split plot method was used to ascertain total number of experiments and response surface methodology (RSM) technique required for standardization of design was selected. The results revealed that improved thresher was best among all threshing methods, and it reduces the drudgery and gives maximum production with minimum energy expenditure. New motorized paddy threshing gives maximum production, i.e. 16.69 kg with 9.6 kJ/min energy expenditure, and 299 beats TCCW, 127 beats/min, heart rate 20.94% MSD and 20.86% RPE.