Environmental Ergonomics and Postural Job Analysis on Handcrafting Process of a Small-Scale Jewelry Enterprise

Abstract

The Philippine Jewelry Industry has a great potential on contributing to the economic development. Large deposit of gold, abundant reserve of precious stones and cheap skilled labor of Filipino artisans are some of the country’s resources which are essential elements for jewelry making. A dying breed of artistry for the craft poses a high threat to the number of Filipino jewelry makers. Hence, a task analysis intends to help the industry by identifying ergonomic risk factors in the working environment of a typical small-scale jewelry enterprise. It focuses on the traditional ways of jewelry making mainly by handheld tools. Various physical and environmental methods are consolidated to detect risk factors which may potentially lead to occupational disorders. Data analysis plan consists of comparative assessment of actual measurements and acceptable levels for environmental variables. Also, descriptive statistics is used to interpret the results of environmental ergonomics and postural job analysis. The result shows high proportion of non-conformance in illumination and thermal condition of the workplace. The sitting postures of the workers are deviated from neutral working positions. Also, bodydiscomforts are commonly experienced in neck, shoulder, upper back and arm regions. Moreover, recommendations are established to introduce an ergonomically designed workplace.