Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The work conducted in the informal sector is highly variable within and between days. Characterizing ergonomic exposures remains a challenge because of unstructured work settings and schedules. The existing ergonomic risk assessment tools have been widely used in formal work settings with a narrow range of exposure, and for predefined tasks that primarily constitute a daily routine. There is limited information in the literature on how they have been applied in informal workplaces. The aim of this study was to extend an existing risk assessment tool and to evaluate the applicability of the extended tool by assessing ergonomic exposure related to hand-made cookware operations. Eighteen hand-made cookware makers were recruited from six sites. A walkthrough risk assessment questionnaire was used to collect information on workers, tasks, work stations and workplace structures. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) screening tool was extended by including duration and vibration. An action priority matrix was used to guide intervention. According to the RULA action levels, the workers required investigation and changes soon, and immediate investigation and changes. The use of an action priority matrix was appropriate, and indicated that all the workers assessed were within the high to very high exposure domain and required immediate corrective measures. The methodology used proved to be an effective and reliable strategy for identifying ergonomic exposure among hand-made cookware makers.

Details

Title
Ergonomic Risk Assessment during an Informal Hand-Made Cookware Operation: Extending an Existing Model
Author
Shezi, Busisiwe 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Street, Renee A 2 ; Mathee, Angela 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nokulunga Cele 4 ; Ndabandaba, Sipho 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Naidoo, Rajen N 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; [email protected]; Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa 
 Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4000, South Africa; [email protected] (R.A.S.); [email protected] (N.C.); [email protected] (S.N.); Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa; [email protected] 
 Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; [email protected]; Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6000, South Africa 
 Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4000, South Africa; [email protected] (R.A.S.); [email protected] (N.C.); [email protected] (S.N.) 
 Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa; [email protected] 
First page
9459
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2576415022
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.