Investigation of ergonomic working conditions of sewing and cutting machine operators of clothing industry

Abstract

The textile industry is a very labour intensive industry which mainly comprises of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In developing countries, usually occupational health and safety programs are focused on large-scale organisations. A cross-sectional study on evaluating ergonomics risk factors associated with task performing strategies has been carried out at cutting and sewing units of a garment industry organisation. A reliable direct observational ergonomics risk assessment method Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was used to find out the risk associated with working postures adopted by the workers. Data was collected through physical observations, walkthrough, interviews, and video recordings. Data analysis was carried out on 180 selected postures by using REBA method. It concluded that overall working strategies were poorly designed as more than 30% of postures highlighted a high level of risk of MSDs that necessitates immediate investigation for improvement. Major causes of risk were linked with the postural movements attached with the wrist, lower arm, and neck. The findings of the study add to the understanding of working conditions of cutting and sewing activities at garment manufacturing industries, these could help in the design of ergonomics interventions for reducing musculoskeletal symptoms and improving job quality which eventually increases work productivity.