Gender difference and optimal carrying load limit for industrial workers

Abstract

Even with the technology available today, industrial workers are still engaged in carrying of objects in awkward postures, repetitive work and also carrying heavy loads. So, a physiological and psychophysiological study was conducted among the foundry workers for determining the safe carrying load limit and also the gender difference. A total of 102 subjects, including male and female foundry workers, were selected from Agra foundry industry, which performed different carrying load activities in their daily schedule. In the present work, for physiological study, both the field and laboratory data were collected including heart rate, heart rate variability, and VO2max for the foundry workers of age groups 21–30, 31–40 and 41 and above years. Information regarding hemoglobin content, weight, height, age, ponderal index, lean body weight, etc. was also recorded. In psychophysiological evaluation, carrying load limits were determined in which workers felt comfortable for different age groups. By considering the stresses such as cardiovascular, and also by psychophysiological evaluation the optimal carrying load limit were determined in head and shoulder mode for male and female foundry workers of different age groups.