Ergonomics of load carrying activities and humanizing the work of Railway Assistants
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Date
2018-03
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
The railway assistants experience a higher rate of accident due to the heavy load carrying in their head and back. This breed of workers literally thrives on our load, making a living out of hard physical labour. Currently, Load carrying activities have been transferred from railway assistants to passengers at the various platforms in India. This transformation of load carrying activities has a negative impact on both railway assistants as well as passengers. On one hand Railway assistants reported that they are facing problems in their livelihood because they are unable to find out the luggage for carrying at the railway station due to the innovation of trolley bags. Passengers are not aware of ill effect of load carrying activities. It is a back-breaking job and railway assistants have to be healthy and strong enough to take the luggage up the stairs and walk along the platform. Therefore, present investigation aimed to study the demographic profile of railway assistants, to assess existing condition in term of activity profile i.e. type, duration and frequency of performance and occupational health hazards of railway assistants, to study the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the railway assistants, to study physiological, psychological and total cardiac cost of work of railway assistants and finally to humanize the cost of work for railway assistants and to create the awareness about the ill effect of load carrying activity among the passengers by suggesting certain techniques and technologies. Railway assistants from Delhi and Moradabad railway stations were taken purposively. 120 sample were selected through snowball sampling for descriptive data and for experimental data 12 railway assistants were selected. It was found from the investigation that maximum of total railway assistants (83.33 percent) had reported body ache as their major common illness and stiffness in hands joints (87.5 percent) as main chronic illness. Forceful motion and itching were the major mechanical and biological hazards respectively and majority of them reported that humidity as their major environmental problem. Maximum of railway assistants (44.16 percent) were under AL3 zone in REBA score which indicate high risk and action necessary now. Most of the railway assistants had reported pain/discomfort in pain in low and upper back, neck and Hips/thighs. Percent change in heart rate (18.66) and blood pressure (23.72) was maximum in the age group above 40 years. It is concluded that the age group above 40 years railway assistants were facing maximum postural stress and reason might due to the age.Thus, certain techniques were suggested for these railway assistants to reduce occupational hazards and create awareness among the passengers about the ill effect of load carrying activities and to humanizing the work of railway assistants ergonomically sound trolley model was designed.