Prevalence of occupational injury among vegetable cultivators of West Bengal, India
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Abstract
Manual agricultural task is an accident prone task in the harsh working environment, with occupation related health problem and injuries. They are exposed to extensive usage of primitive tools, bearing awkward working postures, handling of chemicals during long working hours. This study thus aims at studying the prevalence of occupational injury of vegetable cultivators in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
A cross-sectional study on 181 male vegetable cultivators using traditional and/or modern agricultural techniques was conducted using predesigned survey questionnaire and direct observation of the mode of work. It was observed that 68% of mechanized workers and 86% of traditional workers suffered from cut accident (p<0.05). Traditional workers are more prone to occupational injuries like cut, fracture, sprain injury, etc. rather than mechanized cultivators, hinting at reduced work performance. Ergonomic interventions viz., natural working posture, work-rest schedule and optimization of body movements are required to reduce the prevalent accident frequency.
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References
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