Occupational Injuries in North Indian Agriculture: Product Development and Preventive Measures

Agricultural activities vulnerabilities place the farmers at the potential risk of occurrence of injuries and musculoskeletal illness. Present study was focussed to suggest the ergonomic intervention to mitigate the most frequent and severe injury incidents. A two-member team visited sixty-five villages of six districts of Haryana state to elicit the information from 384 subjects. Each one of the subject was interviewed face to face and all the responses were recorded in the questionnaire. Questionnaire was designed to draw the information about the prevalence of various types of injury and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Out of total 221 injury cases, the highest cases (105) were reported for hand only. 76.2% of the total hand injuries were reported on the fingers during the sickle operation. In the record of one-year prevalence of MSDs symptoms by various anatomical area, 136 cases were reported about pain troubling the workers in the past one year. 55 number of cases associated with lower back problems whereas, 22 respondents showed the symptoms of chronic lower back pain. On the basis of interpretations and analyses of collected information, an ergonomic intervention in form of a finger protection guard for sickle operation was proposed to mitigate the concerned injuries.