Tuesday, September 22, 2015

An Anthropological study on Ergonomics and Cardiorespiratory Health profile of Female Carpet Workers of India


An Anthropological study on Ergonomics and Cardiorespiratory Health profile of Female Carpet Workers of India
                                                                                                                                 * Ajeet Jaiswal


*Dr. Ajeet Jaiswal, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.  Email: rpgajeet@gmail.com, Phone no. : 09791201427, 08122594335.



Abstract:


The observational crosssectional study conducted on a sample of 100 women working in carpet industry of Uttar Pradesh, outlines their cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal profile before, during and at end of work. Contrary to expectation, there was no significant change in respiratory function. However, the musculoskeletal problems were found to be abundantly present with pain in 91% of the subjects. Regionwise mapping of pain revealed that postural pain in low back was present. Scapular muscles on the right side were involved in stabilizing shoulder, which never went overhead. On the contrary, left shoulder was raised as high (>90 degrees) in spinning action, while pulling thread. This muscle work involved trapezius, deltoid and triceps action concentrically in lifting and while coming to starting position slowly, eccentrically. Though the overall job was light as per peak HR, there was pain due to fatigue and grip strength weakened by around 10%, at the end of the day's work. In conclusion, pain and fatigue were found to be the main problems for women in the spinning section of the small scale industry under this study. Women have to take up dual responsibility of a fulltime job as well as the domestic work. It was considered that ergonomic factors such as provision of a backrest and frequent rest periods could remediate the musculoskeletal symptoms.

Key words:   Women workers, Carpet industry, Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal

Monday, September 21, 2015

Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry in Developing Countries


Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry in Developing Countries

* Ajeet Jaiswal, **Sapna Jaiswal


*Dr. Ajeet Jaiswal, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.  Email: rpgajeet@gmail.com.
**Mrs Sapna Jaiswal, MBA, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.

Abstract:

Health at work and healthy work environment are amongst the most valuable assets of individuals, communities and countries. The lackadaisical attitude of the Indian policy makers has made the situation even worse. The enforcement of legislative measures and their active implementation is also very poor. Construction is a dangerous industry, for two reasons: one is the intrinsically hazardous nature of the work; the other is the result of the industry’s structural and organizational challenges for risk management. These combined factors have created an industry culture in which poor health and safety outcomes have long been the accepted norm. Representation and consultation are elements of health and safety management theory but are not necessarily applied effectively in practice. To appreciate why, it is important to understand the meaning of these terms and what constitutes good practice in this regard. This article report is primarily a review of research literature across a range of countries, but mostly restricted to english publications. The initial findings demonstrated that research literature on the construction industry is very limited. There is, however, wider research literature, including well-constructed studies, that examine these issues in other economic sectors and this report has considered both the limited and broader material. Research evidence demonstrates that worker representation and consultation effectively improve health and safety outcomes in relation to management practices and safety culture, as well as safety performance in terms of injury rates.

Key words: Occupational Health, Construction Industry, Developing Countries, Safety

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Industrial Health and Occupational Safety



Industrial Health and Occupational Safety  

Abstract
The study of Industrial health and Occupational safety in fabric industry examines to promote health and safety to the workers in India. The Hazards and risk involved in the fabric or textile industry is high compared with other industries and least importance is given to fabric industries. Most of accident does not come to the legal formalities. The People are not aware of health and safety is due to the workers are uneducated and management not given importance due to promote Industrial health and Occupational safety in fabric industry becomes a barriers in implementing Industrial health and Occupational safety. The major hazards happen are physical, chemical, ergonomically and physiologically hazards along with these some of things which can create hazards are more working hours, improper ventilation. The Risk priority number has been find out for all the hazards in the fabric industry and fault tree analysis is done for the hazard with highest Risk priority number (RPN).

Keywords: Industrial health, Occupational safety, Hazards, Fabric or Textile industry, Risk priority number.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Health




  Health


The Constitution of WHO (1946) states that good health is a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living, and is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities. Health is a fundamental human right, recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). It is also an essential component of development, vital to a nation's economic growth and internal stability. Along with the traditional and unequivocal arguments on social justice and the importance of health, it is now accepted that better health outcomes play a crucial role in reducing poverty. There is also increased understanding of how health fits into a wider cross-sectoral, cross-border and globalized framework. Four key values guide efforts to address health issues:
  • Recognition of the universal right to health
  • Continued application of health ethics to policy, research and service provision
  • Implementation of equity orientated policies and strategies that emphasize solidarity
  • Incorporation of a gender perspective into health policies.
Health ethics involves a process of systematic and continuous reflection on the norms and values which should guide decisions about health care at the personal, institutional, or societal level, and by which the outcomes of such decisions may be judged.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Study the Relation between Fatigue, Sleepiness and Accidents among the workers of Indian Weaving Industries

Study the Relation between Fatigue, Sleepiness and Accidents among the workers of Indian Weaving Industries

Ajeet Jaiswal 1

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India


Abstract


It has been found that shift work can disrupt human circadian rhythms which are normally acclimated to daytime wakefulness and nighttime rest. At physiological level, medical investigations have demonstrated that circadian de-synchronization can lead to changes in hormonal levels, increase risk of cardiovascular disease, produce sleep-cycle disturbances and result in significant fatigue. Shift work is growing in modern society as an important tool for flexibility of work organization. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of exhaustion and sleepiness around the shift and non-shift workers and its relation to occupational accidents.
This was a cross-sectional study on the workers of Indian weaving textile industrial Group. Study included 150 shift workers as the case and 141 non-shift workers as the control. A multi-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics, Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were applied. The X2 test and t-test were used to measure differences between variables. The mean of PFS scores in the two groups was significantly different (p=0.045), but the difference in the mean of ESS scores was not significant. Shift workers with the reported accident had a higher score on fatigue than shift workers with no accident (p<0.001) whereas the difference in the number of accidents in the two groups was not related significantly to the rate of sleepiness. The rate of fatigue or exhaustion and the number of the work accidents was more in the shift workers. Also, fatigue or exhaustion had a stronger relationship with the occupational accidents as compared to sleepiness. It seems that evaluation of exhaustion as compared to sleepiness is a more accurate factor for preventing work accidents.