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Ergonomic Evaluation of Pruning in Simulated Greenhouse conditions

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Title Ergonomic Evaluation of Pruning in Simulated Greenhouse conditions
 
Creator Kumar, Adarsh
Pramanik, Anilendu
Tiwar, Ravindra Kumar
Das, Sudeshna
 
Subject Ergonomics
Greenhouse farming
Physical exertion
Physiology
Working heights
 
Description 363-369
Greenhouse is a space-efficient structure for farming. The workers stretch their bodies to perform operations away from the
body and at different heights. The present study aimed to assess the physiological and postural discomfort because of the varied
working heights and horizontal distances and also attempts to suggest suitable interventions to overcome them. The current
study investigated the physiological and subjective measures of exertion while working at different heights (elbow height,
shoulder height and above shoulder height) and horizontal distances (30, 45, 60, and 75 cm) with two different pruning tools
under simulated laboratory conditions. All the physiological parameters and responses against different conditions were
recorded from six male participants and analyzed as per experimental requirements. The outcome of the present study
demonstrated that physiological cost and subjective measure of exertion varied significantly with the variation in heights and
horizontal distances. Heart rate, oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, and perceived exertion were significantly higher
“above the shoulder height” than elbow and shoulder height. Similarly, all the measured physiological parameters and Rating of
Perceived Exertion (RPE) exhibited a gradual increase with increasing the distance from the worker’s body. The study also
revealed a differential effect of tools used while performing the pruning work. Further, the multiple regression analysis helped
to predict Relative Cardiac Cost from RPE and other evaluated physiological parameters. Overall, findings from the current
study concluded that conventional pruning activities need workspace optimization and ergonomic intervention to select pruning
tools and achieve the desired productivity with minimum Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs).
 
Date 2023-03-07T11:54:06Z
2023-03-07T11:54:06Z
2023-03
 
Type Article
 
Identifier 0022-4456 (Print); 0975-1084 (Online)
http://nopr.niscpr.res.in/handle/123456789/61513
https://doi.org/10.56042/jsir.v82i03.65183
 
Language en
 
Publisher NIScPR-CSIR, India
 
Source JSIR Vol.82(03) [March 2023]