Assessment of Muscular Stress of Farm Women While Using Manually Operated Farm Tools Used For Most Drudgery Prone Farm Operations

Abstract

The focus of the present investigation was to study the muscular stress of farm women engaged newlinein Wheat Harvesting and Paddy Transplanting activities using existing and improved farm newlinetools. The sample size for the study comprised of total 250 farm women. Out of which 125 newlinefarm women were selected for Wheat Harvesting and Paddy Transplanting activity each. Out newlineof each 125 sample, 63 and 62 farm women were selected from Chaka and Karchana Block newlinerespectively. The survey was conducted twice, first with conventional tools and second with newlineimproved tools. The study was conducted in villages of Chaka and Karchana Blocks of newlineAllahabad, Uttar Pradesh. The Ergonomical assessment, direct observation, interview schedule, newlinebody map, improved sickle, machinery paddy transplanterwere used as tools for collecting newlinedata. It was found thatmajority of farm women were facing physical problem like pain in newlinedifferent body parts. According to the their Muscular Stress during Wheat Harvesting with newlineconventional sickle they felt maximum pain in their shoulder 8.8 percent while 14.4 percent newlinewith improved sickle they felt maximum pain in their hips/ thighs, and manual Paddy newlineTransplanting was in their lower back 10.4 percent while 13.6 percent with Machine newlineTransplanting maximum body pain occurred in hips /thighs. Frequency of posturalchange with newlineconventional and improved sickle 62.4 percent 78.4 percent felt squatting posture, manual and newlinemachine paddy transplanting 100 percent adopt squattingposture and 100 percent adopt newlinestanding posture, 60 percent and 74.4 percent adopted 650 newline 700 newlineand700 newline-750 newlinebending to normal newlineangle in Wheat Harvesting with conventional and improved sickle and 81.6 percent 67.2 newlinepercent adopted 550 newline 600 newlineand 700 newline- 750 bending to normal angle in manual and machine paddy newlinetransplanter. To assess the improved tools on the farm women, improved sickle, and machine newlinePaddy transplanter were used. The women were more comfortable with theimproved tools than newlineexisting tools. They felt less pain in body and less frequen