National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
In India, especially in the high hills of Uttarakhand, stone masonry work, is a commonly known practice followed by hilly people to support their life. It is basically a labour-intensive job, where most of the activities are performed manually by workers due to the unavailability of advanced tools and technologies at Hills. That’s why musculoskeletal discomfort and postural stress are some of the major health problems faced by stone masonry workers. Therefore the present study was planned with the following objectives, to assess the demographic profile of stone masonry workers, musculoskeletal discomfort, and postural stress among stone masonry workers involved in various activities. A total of 120 male stone masonry workers were selected. Methodology: An interview schedule was planned for collecting data regarding the demographic profile of workers, tools, and technologies adopted by workers while performing various activities. A modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was adopted for collecting data regarding MSDs. The Workplace Ergonomic Risk Assessment (WERA) tool was used for assessing postural stress among workers. The results revealed that workers were at high risk of musculoskeletal discomfort, they were vulnerable to be affected by a wide range of injuries and accidents. They work for 8-9 hours in mostly awkward postures and suffer from pain in various body parts; in the case of extraction, 58.82 percent and 64 percent of workers were suffering from lower back pain and wrist pain respectively. In breaking 81.25 percent of workers were having pain in their shoulders. In crushing shaping and layering activity 73.33 percent, 76.47 percent, and 38 percent of workers complained about pain in the wrist or hands. On the basis of the WERA score majority, i.e. 82.66 percent of the workers involved in various activities lay under the medium action level that indicates (the task needs to be further investigated and requires change). Immense attention, in the form of appropriate preventive measures, is needed to protect workers.
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