Impact of Illumination, Noise and Thermal Environment on Occupational Health of Handloom Weavers in Assam: An Ergonomics Perspective

Abstract

The impact of physical environment (illumination, noise, and thermal environment) on handloom weavers’ health and performance is under-reported. Current research aims to assess environmental variables and provide mitigation strategies to improve working conditions. Prevailing levels of environmental variables were measured, and questionnaires were administered to determine their impact on weavers’ occupational health and performance involving weavers (30 females and 6 males) residing in Sualkuchi, Assam, India. It was observed that inadequate illumination (101.13 ± 60.95 Lux) inside handlooms led to visual discomfort, while high noise level (90.87 ± 2.53 dBA) negatively impacted their occupational health, particularly the shifting of the hearing threshold. The installation of LED bulbs provided recommended illumination in the looms. Survey revealed that the majority (90%) of the weavers were dissatisfied with the existing thermal environment in summer. Mitigation strategies have been proposed to ameliorate the negative impact of the predominant indoor handloom environments.