Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31306/s.64.3.1
Ergonomic analysis of the statodynamic strain afflicting the workers in the garment sewing industry
Anica Hursa Šajatović
orcid.org/0000-0002-3394-3115
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu Tekstilno-tehnološki fakultet, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Snježana Kirin
; Veleučilište u Karlovcu, Karlovac, Hrvatska
Abstract
Garment sewing is an industry with closed type workplaces where the workers continuously perform similar operations. The work requires sitting at a sewing machine, with the worker using his hands and performing machine-hand operations. The hands and the upper body manipulate the actual fabric and the feet/legs activate the sewing machine at short intervals that, when repeated for the entire duration of the working day, put a strain on the worker. The actual operations depend on the type and character of the garment, the type and technological performances of the sewing machine and on the worker’s skills for the job. The paper outlines the different body postures required for different operations (placing, lining up the pieces, sewing, straightening, depositing the garment in a suitable place) observed in nine different workplaces, using REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) and OWAS (Ovaco Working Analysing System) methods. The results indicate that strain is present in all the studied workplaces, thus requiring interventions in the workplace design. The redesigning of the workplaces involves also coming up with a correct design of the overall work system (man-machine-environment) in keeping with the static and dynamic anthropometric characteristics of individual workers, as well as implementing the most favourable work process in order to ensure less strain and less fatigue.
Keywords
REBA method, OWAS method, sewing, work strain
Hrčak ID:
284159
URI
Publication date:
5.10.2022.
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