RESEARCH PAPER
Ergonomic conditions in manual harvesting in Swedish outdoor cultivation
 
More details
Hide details
1
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), AEM
 
 
Corresponding author
Stefan Pinzke   

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, AEM, PO Box 88, SE-23053 Alnarp, Sweden
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2018;25(3):481-487
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective:
Ergonomic problems in manual labour in agriculture are well known worldwide. This study investigates the ergonomic conditions during manual work in Swedish outdoor vegetable/berry cultivation.

Material and methods:
A questionnaire on work and health conditions was sent to all growers of vegetables and strawberries in Sweden. Workplace studies with video recordings and observations of work operations and positions at harvest were performed. Calculations of back compression and risk assessment for harmful impact of work were made. Employers and employees were interviewed.

Results:
Working standing/walking instead of kneeling when harvesting vegetables was shown to decrease lumbar compression. Using a conveyor belt instead of carrying a plastic box into the field for the harvested vegetables reduced harmful forward bends and the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). When strawberries were grown in pots, the work position was a straight back and neck, with lowered arms. When grown on raised beds, the work position was either kneeling or bending forward with straight legs. When kneeling, the back was often bent or rotated, frequently with the arms far from the body. Bending forward with straight legs caused a harmful level of lumbar compression.

Conclusions:
Harmful work postures arise during manual harvesting in Swedish outdoor cultivation. The risk can be reduced using mechanized work tools and optimal cultivation methods. Adequate work training, including instructions about optimal working postures and movements, may reduce the risk of MSD, but will most likely not eliminate it completely.

 
REFERENCES (39)
1.
Balogh I. Exposure Assessment for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders. [dissertation]. Lund University, Lund, Sweden; 2001.
 
2.
Buckle PW, Devereux JJ. The nature of work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. Appl Ergon. 2002; 33: 207–217.
 
3.
Kuorinka I, Forcier L, Hagberg M, Silverstein B, Wells R, Smith MJ, et al. Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs): A Reference Book for Prevention. London: Taylor & Francis; 1995.
 
4.
Osorio AM, Beckman J, Geiser CR, Husting EL, Inai A, Summerill KF. California farm survey of occupational injuries and hazards. J Agric Saf Health. 1998; 99(1): 99–108.
 
5.
US Department of Labor. Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in the United States by Industry, 1992–2001. Bureau of Labor Statistics; 2002.
 
6.
Gemma SFB, Tereso MJA, Abrahão RF. Complexity and ergonomy: the manager work at the organic agriculture in Campinas – SP Brazil. Cienc. Rural [online]. 2010; 40(2): 288–294.
 
7.
Lee S-J, Park HJ. Work-related Musculoskeletal disorders among Agricultural Workers. J Ergon Soc Korea. 2011; 30(4): 525–534.
 
8.
Abrahão RF, Ribeiro IAV, Tereso MJA. Workload composition of the organic horticulturea. Work. 2012; 41: 5355–5360.
 
9.
Xiang J, Bi P, Pisaniello D, Hansen A, Sullivan T. Association between high temperature and work-related injuries in Adelaide, South Australia, 2001–2010. Occupational Environment Med. 2014; 71: 246–252.
 
10.
Amstrong TJ, Buckle P, Fine LJ, Hagberg M, Jonsson B, Kilbom Å, et al. A conceptual model for work-related neck and upper-limb musculoskeletal disorders. Scand J Work Environment Health. 1993; 19: 73–84.
 
11.
Bernard BP. Musculoskeletal disorders and workplace factors: a critical review of epidemiological evidence for work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper extremity, and low back. DHHS (NIOSH) publication no. 97–141. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; 1997.
 
12.
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace: Low Back and Upper Extremities. Panel on Musculoskeletal disorders and the Workplace. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001.
 
13.
Punnett L, Wegman DH. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: the epidemiologic evidence and the debate. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2004; 14(1): 13–23.
 
14.
López-Aragón L, López-Liria R, Callejón-Ferre A-J, Pérez-Alonso J. Musculoskeletal disorders of agricultural workers in the greenhouses of Almería (Southeast Spain). Saf Sci. 2018; 109: 219–235.
 
15.
Chad KE, Brown JMM. Climatic stress in the workplace: Its effect on thermoregulatory responses and muscle fatigue in female workers. Appl. Ergonomics. 1995; 26(1): 29–34.
 
16.
Hancock PA, Ross JM, Szalma JL. A Meta-Analysis of Performance Response Under Thermal Stressors. University of Central Florida, Hum. Factors. 2007; 49(5): 851–877.
 
17.
Callejón-Ferre A, Pérez-Alonso J, Sánchez-Hermosilla J, Carreño-Ortega J. Ergonomics and psycho-sociological indices in greenhouses, Almeria (Spain). Span J Agric Res. 2009; 7(1): 50–58.
 
18.
Lundqvist P, Pinzke S, Kyrö Wissler S, Stål M. Åtgärdsprogram för en god arbetsmiljö inom trädgårdsnäringen. [Action program for a good working environment in the horticulture industry]. Report, Stiftelsen Lantbruksforskning (SLF); 2008. http://www.lantbruksforskning....=. Published July 15, 2008. (access: 2018.04.11).
 
19.
Davis KG, Kotowski SE. Understanding the ergonomic risk for musculoskeletal disorders in the United States agricultural sector. Am J Ind Med. 2007; 50(7): 501–511.
 
20.
Kirkhorn SR, Earle-Richardson G, Banks RJ. Ergonomic risks and musculoskeletal disorders in production agriculture: recommendations for effective research to practice. J Agromedicine. 2010; 15: 281–299.
 
21.
Fathallah FA, Meyers JM, Janowitz I. Stooped and Squatting Postures in the Workplace, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Proceedings of the Symposium for Stooped and Squatting Posture in the Workplace, Jul. 29–30, 2004; Oakland, USA.
 
22.
Fathallah FA. Musculoskeletal disorders in labor-intensive agriculture. Appl Ergon. 2010; 41(6): 738–743.
 
23.
Jin S, McCulloch R, Mirka GA. Biomechanical evaluation of postures assumed when harvesting from bush crops. Int J Ind Ergon 2009; 39: 347–352.
 
24.
Swedish Board of Agriculture. Trädgårdsproduktion 2011. [The 2011 Horticultural census]. JO 33 SM 1201. https://www.jordbruksverket.se... Published September 3, 2012. (access: 2018.04.11).
 
25.
Kuorinka I, Jonsson B, Kilbom Å, Vinterberg H, Biering-Sörensen F, Andersson G, et al. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Appl Ergon. 1987; 18(3): 233–237.
 
26.
IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp; 2011.
 
27.
Vogel K. ALBA – program för biomekanik och antropometri. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden; 2013. https://www.kth.se/sv/mth/ergo.... Published November 18, 2013. (access: 2018.04.11).
 
28.
Waters TR, Putz-Anderson V, Garg A. Applications manual for the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation. DHHS(NIOSH) Publication No. 94–110. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cincinnati, Ohio; 1994.
 
29.
Swedish Work Environment Authority. Checklista – Belastningsergonomi. [Checklist – Ergonomics]. Swedish Work Environment Authority, Stockholm, Sweden; 2013. https://www.av.se/arbetsmiljoa... Published August, 2013. (access: 2018.04.11).
 
30.
Swedish Work Environment Authority. Arbetsmiljöverkets föreskrifter och allmänna råd om belastningsergonomi, AFS 2012:2. [Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, AFS 2012:2, provisions]. Swedish Work Environment Authority, Stockholm, Sweden; 2012. https://www.av.se/arbetsmiljoa... Published June 1, 2012. (access: 2018.04.11).
 
31.
Svensson B, Nilsson T, Håkansson B & Persson M. Substratodlade jordgubbar [Substrate-grown strawberries]. projekt nr 36 i Tillväxt Trädgård 2009–2010. Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet. Landskap trädgård jordbruk. Technical Report 2011: 5; 2011.
 
32.
Manninen P, Heliövaara M, Riihimäki H, Suomalainen O. Physical workload and the risk of severe knee osteoarthritis. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2002; 28(1): 25–32. doi:10.5271/sjweh.643.
 
33.
McMillan G, Nichols L. Osteoarthritis and meniscus disorders of the knee as occupational diseases of miners Occup Environ Med. 2005; 62: 567–575. doi: 10.1136/oem.2004.017137.
 
34.
Jensen, LK. Knee osteoarthritis: influence of work involving heavy lifting, kneeling, climbing stairs or ladders, or kneeling/squatting combined with heavy lifting. Occup Environ Med. 2008; 65: 72–89. doi:10.1136/oem.2007.032466.
 
35.
Lucas RAI, Epstein Y, Kjellstrom T. Excessive occupational heat exposure: a significant ergonomic challenge and health risk for current and future workers. Extrem Physiol Med. 2014; 3: 14.
 
36.
Basu R. High ambient temperature and mortality: a review of epidemiologic studies from 2001 to 2008. Environ Health. 2009; 8: 40.
 
37.
Anttonen H, Pekkarinen A, Niskanen J. Safety at Work in Cold Environments and Prevention of Cold Stress. Ind. Health. 2009; 47: 254–261.
 
38.
Zhao J, Zhu N, Lu S. Productivity model in hot and humid environment based on heat tolerance time analysis. Build. Environ. 2009; 44(11): 2202–2207.
 
39.
McCool JP, Reeder AI, Robinson EM, Petrie KJ, Gorman DF. Outdoor Workers´ Perception of the Risks of Excess Sun-Exposure. J Occup Health. 2009; 51(5): 404–411.
 
eISSN:1898-2263
ISSN:1232-1966
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top