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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 1949 meeting at the UK’'s Admiralty, which led to the
foundation of The Ergonomics Society. “Ergonomics is a
THE textile and apparel industry is one of the most leading science that focuses on designing a job for the worker”. An
segments in the Indian economy. The textile and apparel ergonomically-designed job would ensure that a taller worker
industry involves 38 million people in more than 60,000 units, had enough space to safely perform his or her job, and also that
making in the largest source of employment in India and a shorter worker could reach all of his or her tools and
94% of total workers work in informal sector[1]. India’s products without reaching beyond a comfortable and safe
garment industry employs about eight million workers, of range. This may require employees to work in awkward
which 70 % women. Ergonomic is the scientific application postures, perform the same motion over and over again or lift
of principles, methods can data drawn from various heavy loads – all of which could cause work related
disciplines for the development of system in which people musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Ergonomics aims at
play a significant role[2]. The garment industry there are many preventing injuries by controlling the risk factors such as force,
operations which are repetitive in nature, ties repetitive work repetition, posture and vibration that can cause injuries to
cause musculoskeletal disorder. Actions should be taken to develop.
eliminate the causes of this disorder and make the work place Some fundamental ergonomic principles that should be
safe and healthy for the worker [3]. Research has consistently followed in our workplaces are:
found that the physical characteristics of the job are an 1. Use proper tools
important risk factor for muscle pain injury[4]. The risks for Tools should be appropriate for the specific tasks being
sewing machines operators have been linked to conditions performed.
such as poor workstation design and chair and organizations 2. Keep repetitive motions to a minimum
factor such as the piecework system. Factors such as Our workstations or tasks can often be redesigned to
repetition, force, posture and vibration are associated with reduce the number of repetitive motions that must be
higher rates of injury[5].
performed.
3. Avoid awkward postures
Literature review Your job should not require you to work with your hands
The term ergonomics, from Greek words ‘Ergo’ meaning above shoulder height on a regular basis.
‘work’, and ‘Nomics’, meaning ‘natural laws’ first entered the 4. Use safe lifting procedures
modern lexicon when WojciechJastrzębowski used the word Avoid lifting objects that are too heavy. Use more than one
in his 1857 article “The Outline of Ergonomics; i.e. Science person or a mechanical device to reduce the load.
of Work, Based on the Truths Taken from the Natural 5. Get proper rest
Science”. The introduction of the term to the English lexicon You need to rest your body and mind in order to prevent
is widely attributed to British psychologist Hywel Murrell, at injuries.
6. Other things to consider
1
Pratibha Syntex Ltd, Shirpur. Garment workers can avoid eye injuries by using proper
Queries and Responses: author.colourage@gmail.com
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. Cutting department
Plan of work A) loading the spreading machine
Method study Fabric Roll Transportation from Table to Table
CAD department Common problem : The heavy fabric rolls are manually
transported from table to table by lifting the roll. The people
A human machine system is a system in which man and doing this operation tend to complain about MSD’s to muscle
machine interact in performing a function to bring about; and back.
from given inputs some desire output. Poor work posture in Possible solution: Automated trolleys or vehicles should be
office environment may come from a number of sources used to transport fabric rolls from loading area to spreading
because there are so many contacts points. Injuries and table.
muscle pain affecting the wrists, shoulders, neck and back are
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.
common problems for workers on the clothing industry. Possible Solution : This technique is not the best. If it is
necessary, limit the risk by:
Step 1 Limiting the weight of the bolt, Using two people to lift the
Start with the chair. The feet should be supported on the bolt.
floor with the thighs above knee level and angle of the knees
should be 90° to 120°. B) Spreading the fabric
Spreading by hand
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.
Fabric Roll Transportation from Table to Table
Ergonomic key points for office functions
 Provide an adjustable ergonomic chair with lumbar Common problem: Long reaches are required to cut across
support. the width of the fabric each time a layer is completed or flows
 Keyboard location should provide for a straight line are removed from the fabric.
between elbow, wrist, and the middle finger. Spreading the fabric
 The primary task should take priority in workstation Possible Solution: Use two people, one on each table, who
design and adjustments. cut towards each other. This reduces a lot of the reaching and
 Place the mouse at the same level and angle as the poor postures when cutting across the width of the fabric.
keyboard.
Sewing department
40  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017
ERGONOMICS
• 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
Loading by hand 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
A workstation is the area cover by a sewing machine, a chair so that the operator could rotate between activating the pedal
containers with incoming parts and finishing pieces and the with her or his right or left foot.
nearby space in which the worker need to move.
In case of sewing workstation design the floor space is Lighting
around 4 square meters in case where larger products are
manufacturing such as curtains, tents or rugs. Lighting plays an important role in ergonomics for sewing
Sewing machine operators face a substantially higher risk machine operators.
of muscle pain and injury than workers in other jobs. Common problem: Light sources are not arranged
properly and shadows
create uneven light
Sewing Table 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
Height 1) Scissors
Common problem : Sewing tables are not easily Common problem: Large, heavy scissors are used for
adjustable. Tables that are too high create elevated shoulder trimming threads and are held by the blade to provide accuracy,
postures and Scissors are dull and require excessive force to operate.
non-neutral Possible solution: Operators should have appropriate
elbow and scissors for the task such as small, light clippers or a finger
wrist postures. cutter to trim thread.
Tables that are
too low cause Knives
the operator to lean forward and flex his or her neck.
Possible solution: A good height for sewing tables is at or Common problem: Knives without handles are used to
slightly above elbow height. The height should be easily remove stitching.
adjustable with the press of a button. Possible solution : Knives for removing seams should
have a small blade and a large comfortable handle.
Table angle
Common problem : Almost all sewing tables are flat. Flat Work Space
sewing tables do not maximize visibility and compromise the Work space for the worker to do their job was very poor. In
posture of the upper extremity and neck. fact the distance between the machines is in the fluctuating
Possible solution: A few sewing tables that we saw were range of 14-35 inches (According to ILO standards, it should
tilted 10° to 25° towards the operator. be 24 inches).The found results were communicated to the
factory head. Then, the factory floor setting was designed and
Chairs set at 24inches.
The chair is a critical piece of equipment for sewing
machine operators who work in a seated position. It can have Light
a very large impact on the comfort of the worker and can Light sources are not arranged properly and shadows create
affect the risk of muscle pain and injury. uneven light across the work surface. The natural source of
light is even not much helpful.
The best chairs have these features:

42  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017

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 recommendations were given for healthier work
visibility demands at difficult task. arrangements, working postures and movements. Different
• Due to use of sharp trimmers and scissors at work, prevention methods have been worked out to prevent the
substantial reduction in repetitive motions was achieved. accident and occupational disease like continuous training of
• Reduction in accidents was achieved after used of all the workers on all levels internal surveillance's, personal protective
personal protective clothing was made mandatory. equipment, improvement of work rooms and workplace,
prevent eye over extension in the work with computers.
Cutting Department However some solutions can work across industry sectors in
organization of different size.
Due to use of semi-automated trolleys in cutting
department for fabric transportation, considerable reduction Acknowledgment
in stress and strain levels in body parts of workers was
reported. We wish to give my sincere gratitude to Pratibha Syntex Pvt
• Due to change the table dimension of spreading table Ltd. plant situated at Pithampur. for giving me a golden
fabric spreading operation become more convenient and opportunity for this research work, and also I would like to
fast. thanks Mr.Randhir Yadav for his valuable guidance
• Due to improved work posture at straight knife and band throughout project.. The authors are thankful to Centre for
knife cutting machine, substantial reduction in MSDs to Textile Functions, MPSTME, Shirpur, for their invaluable
body parts and higher production rates were reported. guidance support throughout the project.

Packing department References

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46  COLOURAGE  MAY 2017

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