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ERGONOMICS Textile apparel industry: A responsibilty towards manpower

Article  in  Colourage · May 2017

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ERGONOMICS
Textile apparel industry: A responsibilty towards
manpower
Gayatri G. Patil, Randhir Yadav1, Vinay G. Nadiger, P.P. Raichurkar,
Karan Chandrakar, Mrs. Pranjali Chandurkar
Department of Textiles, Centre for Textile Functions1, Karvand Naka, Shirpur,
Dist. Dhule, Pithampur, Dhar, Madhya Pradesh

ABSTRACT
The aim of the study to improve the workstation and focus on current condition of work. The study taken by a questionnaire
survey of workers. Research shows that sewing machine operates faced a substantially higher risk of muscle pain and injury
than workers in other jobs. Ergonomics has two major objectives first is to enhance effectiveness and efficiency with which
work and other activities are carried out. The second objective is to enhance certain desirable human values, including
improved safety, reduced fatigue and stress, increased comfort, greater user acceptance, increased job satisfaction, and
improved quality of life.
Key words: Ergonomics, Efficiency, Quality, Productivity.

Introduction
THE textile and apparel industry is one of the most leading
segments in the Indian economy. The textile and apparel
industry involves 38 million people in more than 60,000 units,
making in the largest source of employment in India and
94% of total workers work in informal sector[1]. India’s
garment industry employs about eight million workers, of
which 70 % women. Ergonomic is the scientific application
of principles, methods can data drawn from various
disciplines for the development of system in which people
play a significant role[2]. The garment industry there are many
operations which are repetitive in nature, ties repetitive work
cause musculoskeletal disorder. Actions should be taken to
eliminate the causes of this disorder and make the work place
safe and healthy for the worker [3]. Research has consistently
found that the physical characteristics of the job are an
important risk factor for muscle pain injury[4]. The risks for
sewing machines operators have been linked to conditions
such as poor workstation design and chair and organizations
factor such as the piecework system. Factors such as
repetition, force, posture and vibration are associated with
higher rates of injury[5].
Literature review
The term ergonomics, from Greek words ‘Ergo’ meaning
‘work’, and ‘Nomics’, meaning ‘natural laws’ first entered the
modern lexicon when WojciechJastrzębowski used the word
in his 1857 article “The Outline of Ergonomics; i.e. Science
of Work, Based on the Truths Taken from the Natural
Science”. The introduction of the term to the English lexicon
is widely attributed to British psychologist Hywel Murrell, at
1
Pratibha Syntex Ltd, Shirpur.
Queries and Responses: author.colourage@gmail.com
the 1949 meeting at the UK’'s Admiralty, which led to the
foundation of The Ergonomics Society. “Ergonomics is a
science that focuses on designing a job for the worker”. An
ergonomically-designed job would ensure that a taller worker
had enough space to safely perform his or her job, and also that
a shorter worker could reach all of his or her tools and
products without reaching beyond a comfortable and safe
range. This may require employees to work in awkward
postures, perform the same motion over and over again or lift
heavy loads – all of which could cause work related
musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Ergonomics aims at
preventing injuries by controlling the risk factors such as force,
repetition, posture and vibration that can cause injuries to
develop.
Some fundamental ergonomic principles that should be
followed in our workplaces are:
1. Use proper tools
Tools should be appropriate for the specific tasks being
performed.
2. Keep repetitive motions to a minimum
Our workstations or tasks can often be redesigned to
reduce the number of repetitive motions that must be
performed.
3. Avoid awkward postures
Your job should not require you to work with your hands
above shoulder height on a regular basis.
4. Use safe lifting procedures
Avoid lifting objects that are too heavy. Use more than one
person or a mechanical device to reduce the load.
5. Get proper rest
You need to rest your body and mind in order to prevent
injuries.
6. Other things to consider
Garment workers can avoid eye injuries by using proper
shields on high-speed sewing machinery or safety glasses
where appropriate. Also, adequate task lighting at

38  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017

ERGONOMICS
individual workstations can prevent eyestrain.
Plan of work
Method study
CAD department
A human machine system is a system in which man and
machine interact in performing a function to bring about;
from given inputs some desire output. Poor work posture in
office environment may come from a number of sources
because there are so many contacts points. Injuries and
muscle pain affecting the wrists, shoulders, neck and back are
common problems for workers on the clothing industry.
Step 1
Start with the chair. The feet should be supported on the
floor with the thighs above knee level and angle of the knees
should be 90° to 120°.
Step 2
The keyboard should be placed to provide an elbow angle
of 90° to 120° with the elbow, wrist and middle finger in a
straight line.
Step 3
If the mouse is the primary tool, the work station should
be adjusted to provide optimum posture during its use.
Ergonomic key points for office functions
 Provide an adjustable ergonomic chair with lumbar
support.
 Keyboard location should provide for a straight line
between elbow, wrist, and the middle finger.
 The primary task should take priority in workstation
design and adjustments.
 Place the mouse at the same level and angle as the
keyboard.
40  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017
Cutting department
A) loading the spreading machine
Fabric Roll Transportation from Table to Table
Common problem : The heavy fabric rolls are manually
transported from table to table by lifting the roll. The people
doing this operation tend to complain about MSD’s to muscle
and back.
Possible solution: Automated trolleys or vehicles should be
used to transport fabric rolls from loading area to spreading
table.
Loading by hand
Ergonomics Chair
Common problems: Bolts of fabric lifted by hand are very
heavy and create a substantial risk of low back injury.
Possible Solution : This technique is not the best. If it is
necessary, limit the risk by:
Limiting the weight of the bolt, Using two people to lift the
bolt.
B) Spreading the fabric
Spreading by hand
Fabric Roll Transportation from Table to Table
Common problem: Long reaches are required to cut across
the width of the fabric each time a layer is completed or flows
are removed from the fabric.
Spreading the fabric
Possible Solution: Use two people, one on each table, who
cut towards each other. This reduces a lot of the reaching and
poor postures when cutting across the width of the fabric.
Sewing department
ERGONOMICS
Loading by hand
A workstation is the area cover by a sewing machine, a chair
containers with incoming parts and finishing pieces and the
nearby space in which the worker need to move.
In case of sewing workstation design the floor space is
around 4 square meters in case where larger products are
manufacturing such as curtains, tents or rugs.
Sewing machine operators face a substantially higher risk
of muscle pain and injury than workers in other jobs.
Sewing Table
Height
Common problem : Sewing tables are not easily
adjustable. Tables that are too high create elevated shoulder
postures and
non-neutral
elbow and
wrist postures.
Tables that are
too low cause
the operator to lean forward and flex his or her neck.
Possible solution: A good height for sewing tables is at or
slightly above elbow height. The height should be easily
adjustable with the press of a button.
Table angle
Common problem : Almost all sewing tables are flat. Flat
sewing tables do not maximize visibility and compromise the
posture of the upper extremity and neck.
Possible solution: A few sewing tables that we saw were
tilted 10° to 25° towards the operator.
Chairs
The chair is a critical piece of equipment for sewing
machine operators who work in a seated position. It can have
a very large impact on the comfort of the worker and can
affect the risk of muscle pain and injury.
The best chairs have these features:
42  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017
• A stable 5-point base of support;
• Firm cushioning on the backrest and seat pan;
• The seat can be adjusted in height and tilt quickly and
easily;
• The seat does not have a hump on the front edge;
• The backrest can be adjusted in height and from front to
back;
Foot Pedals
Possible solution : One plant that we saw had increased
the size of the treadles by placing a thin wooden board over the
surface of the pedal. It was located at the most comfortable
position and angle for the operator. The pedal could be moved
so that the operator could rotate between activating the pedal
with her or his right or left foot.
Lighting
Lighting plays an important role in ergonomics for sewing
machine operators.
Common problem: Light sources are not arranged
properly and shadows
create uneven light
across the work
surface.
Possible solution:
Ensure there is good Chairs
general lighting and
task lights are provided for operators who desire them or have
visually demanding tasks.
Hand tools
1) Scissors
Common problem: Large, heavy scissors are used for
trimming threads and are held by the blade to provide accuracy,
Scissors are dull and require excessive force to operate.
Possible solution: Operators should have appropriate
scissors for the task such as small, light clippers or a finger
cutter to trim thread.
Knives
Common problem: Knives without handles are used to
remove stitching.
Possible solution : Knives for removing seams should
have a small blade and a large comfortable handle.
Work Space
Work space for the worker to do their job was very poor. In
fact the distance between the machines is in the fluctuating
range of 14-35 inches (According to ILO standards, it should
be 24 inches).The found results were communicated to the
factory head. Then, the factory floor setting was designed and
set at 24inches.
Light
Light sources are not arranged properly and shadows create
uneven light across the work surface. The natural source of
light is even not much helpful.
ERGONOMICS
Survey of Lighting away from operator (depending on type of operation and
Condition: machine) to enable operator to have a better view of sewing
Packaging
Table 1 : Observation table
Work surface Body parts Symptoms Frequency Intensity

Common problem Ergonomics Scissors& cutters

B C N P SP W F O R S SL M SV
: Work surfaces are Eye 32 97 47 36 21 25 32 18 47
often flat tables that are not height adjustable and are not at a Neck 29 78 28 30 17 24 34 43 28
height appropriate for the worker. Shoulder 24 64 40 14 35 52 27 75 25 14
Elbow 35 15 86 47 11 46 59 67 96 76 11
Possible solution : A good folding table that we saw had Hand 14 21 43 19 14 28 26 29 45 38 14
been adjusted to an appropriate height for the packer by Upper back 125 36 27 48 56 30 54 80 27
placing wooden spacers under the legs. Lower back 28 102 25 33 34 45 43 52 70 33
Thigh 34 20 11 18 20 16 28 25 11
Knee 9 34 65 22 6 39 35 50 78 46 6
Results and discussions
Graphical representation area.
We have conducted the survey among 156 operators out of • For a standing workstation a mirror type right/left pedal
312 operators in the sewing floor Analysis of the survey. switch should be provided to distribute workload to both
The table below shows the no. of workers suffering from legs of operator evenly.
pain in various parts of the body. Maximum complaints were • A torso, hand or voice activated switch is better alternative.
at lower back, neck and upper back and so on. About 30%
Table 2
operators were
Body Parts No. Of Workers % Of Workers
having eye related
problem and 18% NECK 28 18
operators having SHOULDER 14 9
Workspace distance headache related ELBOW 11 7
problem. HAND 14 9
Graph UPPER BACK 27 17
LOWER BACK 33 21
From the graph pain has been reported for all body parts. THIGH 11 7
The job done puts lot of stress and strain on the workers body KNEE 6 4
parts. As they work for 8 to 12 hours in the same posture, FOOT 12 8
without giving muscles any significant rest.
Due to larger eye task distance, worker has to bend the • Ergonomic anti-fatigue mat may be provided for operators
back as well as neck. in standing workstation.
• Lighting of prescribed limits should be provided in sewing
Sewing Department Room: area
• The operators should be provided with stools with • The needle
lights are better
alternative as
they focus light
on work area
rather scattering
light from ceiling.
Light intensity
• The sewing
back rest. The common practice of leaning back to machine table should not be too glossy to reflect light
next machine (while not sewing) should be strongly to operators' eye causing difficulty in shade identification.
discouraged. • Needle guard should be provided with every machine
• The operators should be provided with height adjustable as a safety measure. Particularly must for trainee
stools. The economical alternative is to adjust the operators.
machine table heights (all industrial sewing m/c table • Ensure that in all machines the hand wheel driving belt is
height is easily adjustable) according to particular covered with belt guard above machine table.
operator as per prescribed limits. • After making changes in sewing table dimensions, substantial
• The operator should be provided with swivel chair improvement in work surface and support surface where
for easy pivoting around workplace whenever necessary. recorded and substantially higher rate of production were
• The machine table may be shaped according to operation also reported.
requirement. May be with extended armrest for sitting • Due to change in table angle by 100 to 250 towards the
workstation or torso cut out for standing workstation. operator, proper visibility of task was achieved resulting in
• The knee lever should be adjusted according to low stress levels on eyes was recorded.
sitting height of the particular operator. • Uses of task lighting system were practiced in sewing
• For a standing workstation the machine may be tilted

44  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017

 ERGONOMICS
department for difficult operations thus fulfilling higher
visibility demands at difficult task.
• Due to use of sharp trimmers and scissors at work,
substantial reduction in repetitive motions was achieved.
• Reduction in accidents was achieved after used of all the
personal protective clothing was made mandatory.
Cutting Department
Due to use of semi-automated trolleys in cutting
department for fabric transportation, considerable reduction
in stress and strain levels in body parts of workers was
reported.
• Due to change the table dimension of spreading table
fabric spreading operation become more convenient and
fast.
• Due to improved work posture at straight knife and band
knife cutting machine, substantial reduction in MSDs to
body parts and higher production rates were reported.
Packing department
• Improved work surface, support surface and accessories
resulted in production rate and work surface.
Conclusion
Preventing philological and psychological stress at
workplace need a lot of cooperation between worker and the
management. A large variety of health complaints and
absenteeism, and to prevent these, the primary causes have
minimized. The spread of information in the organization
and the positive attitude for safety among workers, and also
management, is extremely important in investigated
company, occupation stress can be decreased by using more
suitable type of work organization working tools and
techniques. In order to save workers' health,
46  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017
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recommendations were given for healthier work
arrangements, working postures and movements. Different
prevention methods have been worked out to prevent the
accident and occupational disease like continuous training of
workers on all levels internal surveillance's, personal protective
equipment, improvement of work rooms and workplace,
prevent eye over extension in the work with computers.
However some solutions can work across industry sectors in
organization of different size.
Acknowledgment
We wish to give my sincere gratitude to Pratibha Syntex Pvt
Ltd. plant situated at Pithampur. for giving me a golden
opportunity for this research work, and also I would like to
thanks Mr.Randhir Yadav for his valuable guidance
throughout project.. The authors are thankful to Centre for
Textile Functions, MPSTME, Shirpur, for their invaluable
guidance support throughout the project.
References
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