BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF TEXTILE AND

FASHION TECHNOLOGY

Ergonomics and work place engineering for fashion technology

Task; - mini project on ergonomics
Case company;- habte garments

Submitted by; - zinabu girma

Submitted to; - Dr. Shalemu sharew (PhD)

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Table of Contents page
1. Company profile..................................................................................................1
2. Introduction.........................................................................................................2
3. Ergonomics and related observations..................................................................5
3.1. Recommendations for sewing shop floor.....................................................8
4. Cutting section observed problems and remedial recommendations..................9
4.2. Recommendations.........................................................................................11
5. Finishing section observed problems and recommendations............................12
5.2. Recommendations for finishing section........................................................14
6. Conclusion.........................................................................................................15
7. References.........................................................................................................16
 1. Company profile
The company I have surveyed through communication via email and telegram with
industrial engineer who works in habte garments which is located in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia around local village name of jakrose.

The company is seems like small scale industries produces children clothes and
trousers with local brand name kurta the company have mission to keep and sell its
home made products within merchandising shops which are under the control of its
part these shops were found in 5 specific places of the capital city Addis Ababa

This areas locally nomnculated like stadium area, gurd shola, legahare, goro
Gabriel and the main stream of these merchandizing shops located jakrose
sehalitmihret area.

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 2. Introduction
Ergonomics is the study of the interaction between people and machines and the
factors that affect the interaction. Its purpose is to improve the performance of
systems by improving human machine interaction. This can be done by ‘designing-
in’ a better interface or by ‘designing-out’ factors in the work environment, in the
task or in the organization of work that degrade human–machine performance.
Systems can be improved by

• Designing the user-interface to make it more compatible with the task and the
user. This makes it easier to use and more resistant to errors that people are known
to make.

• Changing the work environment to make it safer and more appropriate for the
task.

• Changing the task to make it more compatible with user characteristics.

• Changing the way work is organized to accommodate people’s psychological and

social needs. [ CITATION RSB06 \l 2057 ]

How can ergonomics and human factors improve health and safety?

Applying ergonomics to the workplace can reduce the potential for accidents
reduce the potential for injury and ill health; improve performance and
productivity. Taking account of ergonomics and human factors can reduce the
likelihood of an accident. For example, in the design of control panels, consider:
the location of switches and buttons, switches that could be accidentally knocked
on or off might start the wrong sequence of events that could lead to an accident;
expectations of signals and controls – most people interpret green to indicate a safe
condition. If a green light is used to indicate a ‘warning or dangerous state’ it may
be ignored or overlooked; information overload – if a worker is given too much
information they may become confused, make mistakes, or panic. In hazardous
industries, incorrect decisions or mistaken actions have had catastrophic results.

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Ergonomics can also reduce the potential for ill health at work, such as aches,
pains and damage to the wrists, shoulders and back, noise-induced hearing loss and
work-related asthma. Consider the layout of controls and equipment – they should
be positioned in relation to how they are used. Place those used most often where
they are easy to reach without the need to stoop, stretch or hunch. Making sure
protective measures such as extraction hoods or respirators are easy and
comfortable to use means they are more likely to be effective at reducing exposure
to hazardous substances.

If you don’t follow ergonomics principles, there may be serious consequences for
people and whole organizations. Many well-known accidents might have been
prevented if ergonomics and human factors had been considered in designing
people’s jobs and the systems they worked in.

What kind of workplace problems can ergonomics and human factors solve?

Ergonomics is typically known for solving physical problems.

For example, ensuring that emergency stop buttons are positioned so that people
can reach them readily when they need to but ergonomics also deals with
psychological and social aspects of the person and their work. For example, a
workload that is too high or too low, unclear tasks, time pressures, inadequate
training, and poor support from managers can all have negative effects on people
and the work they do.

The following examples highlight some ‘typical’ ergonomic problems found in the
workplace:

Design of tasks

- A work demand is too high or too low.

- The employee has little say in how they organize their work.
- Badly designed machinery guards (awkward to use or requiring additional
effort) slow down the work. Conflicting demands, e.g. high productivity and
quality. These problems can lead to employees failing to follow procedures or
removing guards, causing accidents, injury and ill health.
www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/index.htm.

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Manual handling

- The load is too heavy and/or bulky, placing unreasonable demands on the
person.
- The load has to be lifted from the floor and/or above the shoulders.
- The job involves frequent repetitive lifting.
- The job requires awkward postures, such as bending or twisting.
- The load can’t be gripped properly.
- The job is performed on uneven, wet, or sloping floor surfaces.
- The job is performed under time pressures and doesn’t include enough rest
breaks.

These problems may lead to physical injuries, such as low back pain or injury to
the arms, hands, or fingers. They may also contribute to the risk of slips, trips, and
falls. For more information on manual handling
[ CITATION erg11 \l 2057 ]

Workstation layout

- Items that are used frequently are out of convenient reach.

- Inadequate space under work surface for legs
- Work surface height inappropriate for the tasks causing awkward and
- Uncomfortable postures
- Lighting inadequate causing eyestrain when inspecting detail on work items
- Chair not properly adjusted to fit the person and workstation.

Managing the working day

- not enough recovery time between shifts

- Poor scheduling of shifts
- Juggling shifts with domestic responsibilities.
- Employees working excessive overtime

These problems may lead to tiredness or exhaustion, which can increase the
likelihood of accidents and ill health. [ CITATION erg11 \l 2057 ]

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 3. Ergonomics and related observations
Workers involved in sewing activities, in garments manufacturing industries, due
the exposure to repetitive work by pushing the pedal(by leg), by rotating the hand
wheel, by feeding intended product through the needle and others in fact of such
exposures operators tend to feel musculoskeletal disorders this have grand impact
on the wheel being of the employee and substantially reduces the overall
productivity of the company in such away manufacturing industries must aware of
this and train their operators continuously by providing fixtures and related
equipment for intended ergonomical enhancement and advancement.

Observed related problems in sewing section sitting chairs and lay out

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Employees encounter several risk factors at sewing workstations, such as awkward
arm, neck, trunk, and leg postures. These postures are influenced by the size of the
work and the level of monotonicity of the work.

Possible Solutions:

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Advanced chairs with better capability to create convenience and ease can help the
company to remove such problems and complains of operators. This consequently
reduces abssentism by reducing WMSD (work related musculoskeletal disorder)
and by creating better working condition and place.

And also adjusting the machine layout and aisle space feasibly have significance
role during transferring bundles and during providing accessories for each
employees if the layout is designed incorrectly leads to narrowed walking aisle and
hinders maintenance men if they need the machine out of the line during this
phenomenon the line should be disturbed and the operation held that time will
become stopped consequently the company cannot able to deliver specified order
on time and then the customers will complain and might they completely dismiss
their contract due to such consequences the company tend to quit thriving in
apparel and garment manufacturing arena fails into huge loss.

As per my look looking the company with such problems with cause of little
problem is not easy the company must give urgent solutions for such problems to
overcome this company must provide chairs which are depicted on the figure and
create better and pleasant working condition for not the little enhancement of the
condition for the workers but also for continual development and for the purpose of
seeking higher production level and productivity as their plan.

Inferring hailegziabeher zerfu who is working as industrial engineer in the

observed company there was no lightning is provided on the face front of sewing
machine and additional to this there is no ventilation for the whole floors in sewing
shop floor this might intensifies fatigue and dizziness for employees and
maximizes severances of defect creation due to this look the company have
responsibility to make such ways of working conditions pleasant by creating
lightning and proper ventilation for operators.

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 3.1. Recommendations for sewing shop floor
- Design or purchase appropriately designed padded chair
- Adjust line aisles regarding the length of the machine and make it enough for
two peoples walking
- Generate ergonomical sitting position picture for better enhancement and
sustainability.
- Provide adequate ergonomics based training for employees on sitting posture
and position
- Provide clear and adequate lightning for each operator this have impact to
reduce level of defect occurrences
- Design and select better way of ventilation for all departments of the company
this have positive impact on motivation of each workers.

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 4. Cutting section observed problems and remedial
recommendations
When cutting utilizing safety materials  constantly adds convenience and
guarantee, again gain awareness to designate a special area for the heavy and
sharp tools somewhere on the cutting table or around it. Be cautious not to leave
scissors under the material. [ CITATION GRO16 \l 2057 ]

Lack of safety gloves and manual way of tracing (marker making) and spreading

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To elaborate the picture depicted above the first pic shows the operator on the right
side was operator working in the observed garment industry as it reveals there is no
safety gloves in his hand and his hand is verily approached to the cutting machine.

Inferring the standards from occupational safety health of America (OSHA) it is

very hard and hazardous to work without safety equipment and fixtures in cutting
shop floor. For this the research worker agreed and recommended to use the safety
glove which looks like as depicted on the left side pic of the first pic

Employees may sometimes have to move large bundles of cut fabric from delivery,
or among stations. Utilizing appropriately designed trollies Eliminates Weighty
Lifting by Operators or “Bundle Boys” Use trolleys with proper height and wheels
so that the stress on helper boys will become reduced.

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As observed on the second row of the picture which depicts about incorrect set up
of patterns and awkward sitting of operator, the operator is climbed on the
spreading table and sited awkwardly this is inappropriate way of handling specified
job and he was rubbishing the spreading table with his shoes and the way he sit
was impact on his limbs and tendons and the rubbish of his shoe is capable to
reduce the quality of the lay of fabric, due to this perspective the company must
give correct way of working posture and handling training for the operators in
cutting section and also provide anthropometrically feasible bundle transporting
and storing trollies for operators well-being and fabric and product quality because
those are main catalysts to react within apparel manufacturing business

4.2. Recommendations
- Utilize safety gloves during cutting by high speed reciprocating straight
knife machines in cutting section.
- Adjust the working area for workers for better convenience and ease.
- Provide betterly designed spreading table for better quality and operator
safety
- Put cutting scissors and related fixtures within box and specified area to
reduce injuries on hand, leg or other limbs of the body.
- Provide continuous training for operators on ergonomics and related aspects.

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 5. Finishing section observed problems and recommendations
Most of garment manufacturing has finishing section for the purpose of surface
enhancement of the finished product it follows when products leave sewing line
during such activities most of companies utilize pressing machines, iron heads, bed
bucks and etc.

The observed company utilizes iron heads for purpose of removing wrinkles and
thread lines on the surface of the finished cloth this time operators are working by
moving the iron head on the surface back and forth this time due to the
repetitiveness of the job it creates traumas and ache on her hand and wrists of the
operator and additional to this there is no standing pad provided for operators to
reduce leg pain which is created due to standing for long period of time and also no
chair provided to facilitate both standing and sitting position works,

Inferring different literatures studied in field area of ergonomics in apparel and

garment manufacturing industries such repetitive and monotonous activities have
greater impact to cause WMSD, CTD and other related injuries.

As depicted on the picture below the operator was on stand position and there is no
anti-fatigue pad to stand on it for not only for the mere reduction of fatigue also to
create conveniences for the operator and to facilitate the working condition the
chairs provided are not feasible for such working condition and having no back pad
that can supports and rests back part of the body.

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Prices of the recommended products for further improvement of work place design and
productivity enhancement tracked from [ CITATION gro12 \l 2057 ]

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5.2. Recommendations for finishing section
- Provide anti-fatigue mat for operators who work in stand work station
- Provide trollies for better preservence of finished and ironed products
because this has better influence to boost level of quality by keeping safely
the product from dust and related dirt.
- Provide ergonomical chair that can be adjusted for both stand and sit work
station
- Provide adequate resting time to reduce WMSD on limbs
- Provide sufficient lightning and ventilation to reduce dizziness and better
visualization toward the product.

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 6. Conclusion
In recent competitive and globalized scenario ergonomics was playing influential
role to maximize level of productivity and effectiveness for garment and apparel
manufacturing industries abroad. This is not realized by local manufacturers as a
practicable media in their company due to this perspective this papers in some
extent thrived to expose ergonomic and related problems in habte garment and for
the observed problems recommendation technically were given for the further and
continual improvement of the company and to facilitate the working condition for
operators as per this method of exposing the paper was given to the company was
they also agreed on the problems and for further implementation.

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 7. References
ergonomic relates msd. (2011, 4 2). Retrieved 10 9, 2020, from hse: www.hse.com

alibaba, g. (2012, 7 5). Retrieved 10 9, 2020, from http;// www.alibaba.com

Bridger, R. (2006). introduction to ergonomics. london: British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data .

groups, a. (2012). Retrieved 10 9, 2020, from https://www.alibaba.com

OSHA, G. (2016, 6 2). OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CENTER OF AMERICA. Retrieved 10
5, 2020, from https://www.osha.go

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