Study of Ergonomics in glass bangle industry

Problems faced in the workstations and probable cure for it

1. ERGONOMICS GLASS BANGLE MAKING INDUSTRY Presented by- Antara Paul Drishti Saraswat Shreeti Sudeepta Mishra

2. ERGONOMICS Scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system

3. WORK PLACE DESIGN An arrangement in the workplace that has the objective of overcoming employee alienation and job dissatisfaction that comes about from mechanical and repetitive tasks in the workplace  

4. ERGONOMICS STUDY ON- GLASS BANGLE MAKING INDUSTRY

5. WHY ERGONOMICS T o improve productivity, safety, and quality in manufacturing industries Some of the common problems of the small scale and unorganised sector industries are improper workplace design, ill-structured jobs, mismatch between workers abilities and job demands

6. WHY ERGONOMICS… They lead to workplace hazards, poor workers’ health, mechanical equipment injuries, Work related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) and in turn reduce worker productivity and product/work quality

7. OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY Glass Bangle making industry is one of the most labor extensive industries in India Firozabad is the main hub for this industry employing upto four lakh glass and bangle workers

8. OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY… The industry comprises of these basic steps of manufacturing- Coloring- Addition of metal and metal oxides with pigments and dyes as coloring agents Shaping- Giving the bangles spherical shapes with the help of traditional furnaces and silica sand S oldering the joints- Joining the two points of spherical bangle

9. OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY… Straightening and bending- Giving desired forms and shapes to bangles Decorating of bangles- Different finishes like glittering, transparent finishes etc. are given to the bangles

10. WORKING CONDITIONS OF WORKERS filthy workplace with immense heat and harsh sounds non-availability of work schedule no lunch break for the workers lack of safety gears for workers usage of outdated tools for labors working in the furnace- prevailing in the factories Each bangle passes through 70 to 80 hands before it is ready for sale and each family or production house is responsible for one stage of bangle making.

11. WORKING CONDITIONS OF WORKERS… Working condition for women-labors, who are usually employed in factories to clean the molten glass is even worse Out of four lakh estimated workers only one lakh fall under the category of organized worker Unorganized workers cannot access the benefit of several central and state run social schemes

12. WORKING CONDITIONS OF WORKERS… No first aid facilities and primary medical services are provided in most of the industries No proper arrangement of restrooms and urinals available According to a glass factory owner S hyam Babu , “ T here are only three urinals and seven toilets in his factory where more than thousand labors work 24x7; about 250 to 300 people work in single shift of eight hours ”

13. PROBLEMS FACED 40 % of workers experienced maximum discomfort in the lower lumbar region while 4% noted that their minimum discomfort was in the forearm Skin burns, allergies and decline in vision is also very common in these workers

14. PROBLEMS FACED…   C hest and lungs disorders - They mostly suffer from tuberculosis or other fatal infections of the lungs and chest. Heat Stroke- Heat stroke is the most serious of health problems associated with working in hot environments Heat Exhaustion- Heat exhaustion includes several clinical disorders having symptoms which may resemble the early symptoms of heat stroke

15. PROBLEMS FACED… Fainting- A worker who is not accustomed to hot environments and who stands erect and immobile in the heat may faint Heat Cramps- Heat cramps are painful spasms of the muscles that occur among those who sweat profusely in heat, drink large quantities of water, but do not adequately replace the body's salt loss Heat Rashes- Heat rash, also known as prickly heat, is likely to occur in hot condition

16. Heating & rolling lacquer lump Colour of lacquer lump in bangle manufacturing Joining cylinders from lacquer lump Sizing tender bangle against a reference wooden cylinder Fitting semi-precious jewels on tender bangles Upper arm abduction & forward flexion

17. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT Implementation of suitable engineering controls to reduce heat and radiations Education and training to workers about sitting postures, hazards etc. Worker should use glasses for safety his eyes from excessive heat Instead of coal natural gas can be used as an alterative fuel

18. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT… A n investment for safe and healthy behaviour among the workers, factory owners and others Providing rest breaks between their sessions Switching over alternate jobs with in the organization can be suggested

19. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT… Proper number of restrooms should be provided for male and female workers in the workplace Proper arrangement of drinking water should be done for avoiding heat cramps and heat strokes

20. CASE STUDY- I EXPERIMENT The cardiac cost of work and recovery pulse rates were evaluated in 38 glass bangle workers (mean age 27.8 years) exposed to radiant heat ( 46.2°C) and high ambient temperature ( 38.2°C) for a mean period of 11.0 years in a glass bangle industry in Firozabad was made A reference group of 15 controls (mean age 27.0 years), unexposed to occupational heat stress served as a comparison

21. CASE STUDY-I RESULTS The results showed that the pulse rate increased from a mean base value of 80.0 beats/min to 113.2 beats/min in the exposed workers while in the controls the increase was negligible Thus the cardiac cost of work was found to be 33.2 beats/min, in the exposed group which was significantly higher ( P  < 0.001) than 7.8 beats/min, observed in the control group

22. CASE STUDY-I Among the exposed workers, ‘ belanias ’, who were engaged in the strenuous job of manually rotating the iron roller in the Belan furnace so that the molten glass could be wound in a spiral form, showed maximum increase in pulse rate (42.0 beats/min) over the work-shift followed by ‘ muthias ’ (31.1 beats/min) who were engaged in removing the glass spirals from the Belan furnace However , wiremen (‘ tarkashs ’), who were engaged in highly skilled job of making very fine threads of molten glass with the help of an iron roller, showed the smallest increase (19.5 beats/min) in pulse rate over the work-shift

23. CASE STUDY-I CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the work practices in glass bangle industry need revising to include a proper work-rest schedule to avoid circulatory strain in excessive heat to which glass bangle workers are exposed Implementation of suitable engineering controls in order to reduce the level of environmental heat and thermal radiation

24. CASE STUDY- II The objective of this study was to analyse the working postures of workers engaged in various activities carried out in a glass bangle making industry, by applying different postural analysis tools, and to identify the various risk factors associated with Musculo skeletal disorders

25. CASE STUDY- II… The study was carried out in glass bangle making industry situated in northern Karnataka in India where thousands of workers are engaged in these activities As it is an unorganized sector, no statistical data are available to date as to the accident rates occurred, the number of people employed, and other problems

26. CASE STUDY- II… The only means of these data were through conversations and direct dialogue with the people associated with this profession M ost of the work is manual, involving manual lifting and working indicating that there was poor standing and lots of deviated wrist positions, accompanied by forceful exertions which led to musculo skeletal disorders

27. CASE STUDY- II… METHODOLOGY Questionnaire and interview technique Direct observation and activity analysis Visual Analogue Scale Postural analysis Noise Assessment

28. CASE STUDY- II… RESULTS The survey was used for mapping the different areas of pain, the results also showed that the discomfort frequency among the workers was frequently i.e. once a week for almost 65% of the workers, and discomfort intensity of severe among 33% workers and moderate among 47% and mild among the 20% workers, the duration of intensity was observed to be within 1 to 24 hrs among 75-80% of the workers

29. CASE STUDY- II… Noise levels generated in operations have been reported to vary from 80dB up to 120dB It is well recognised in industry that noise is a serious problem with cutting. One of the unique features of the noise associated with bangle making industry is its intermittent nature.

30. CONCLUSION Musculoskeletal disorders arise due to working in bad postures which shows a need to change the body postures Lack of ergonomics planning and methods in these sectors workers are under moderate to high risk of Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs ) Right tools are not available to carry out effective routine maintenance

31. CONCLUSION… The techniques like strain revealed the work is done frequently without desired breaks and attentions to safe work environment is not adequate Most operations carried out are largely supported by manual handling which often results in overexertion and a long term health hazards Personal Protection devices such as earmuff or plug, hand gloves are not used adequately Dust and glass wastes are not properly disposed.

32. Thank You