Shezi Busisiwe, Street Renee A, Mathee Angela, Cele Nokulunga, Ndabandaba Sipho, Naidoo Rajen N
Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa.
Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 8;18(18):9459. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189459.
The work conducted in the informal sector is highly variable within and between days. Characterizing ergonomic exposures remains a challenge because of unstructured work settings and schedules. The existing ergonomic risk assessment tools have been widely used in formal work settings with a narrow range of exposure, and for predefined tasks that primarily constitute a daily routine. There is limited information in the literature on how they have been applied in informal workplaces. The aim of this study was to extend an existing risk assessment tool and to evaluate the applicability of the extended tool by assessing ergonomic exposure related to hand-made cookware operations. Eighteen hand-made cookware makers were recruited from six sites. A walkthrough risk assessment questionnaire was used to collect information on workers, tasks, work stations and workplace structures. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) screening tool was extended by including duration and vibration. An action priority matrix was used to guide intervention. According to the RULA action levels, the workers required investigation and changes soon, and immediate investigation and changes. The use of an action priority matrix was appropriate, and indicated that all the workers assessed were within the high to very high exposure domain and required immediate corrective measures. The methodology used proved to be an effective and reliable strategy for identifying ergonomic exposure among hand-made cookware makers.
非正规部门的工作在不同日期之间以及同一天内的变化都很大。由于工作环境和工作安排缺乏结构性，对工效学暴露进行特征描述仍然是一项挑战。现有的工效学风险评估工具已广泛应用于暴露范围较窄的正规工作环境，以及主要构成日常工作的预定义任务。关于这些工具在非正规工作场所的应用，文献中的信息有限。本研究的目的是扩展现有的风险评估工具，并通过评估与手工炊具操作相关的工效学暴露来评估扩展工具的适用性。从六个地点招募了18名手工炊具制造商。通过一份巡视风险评估问卷来收集有关工人、任务、工作站和工作场所结构的信息。通过纳入持续时间和振动因素，对快速上肢评估（RULA）筛查工具进行了扩展。使用行动优先级矩阵来指导干预措施。根据RULA的行动级别，这些工人需要尽快进行调查和改变，以及立即进行调查和改变。使用行动优先级矩阵是合适的，这表明所有接受评估的工人都处于高到非常高的暴露范围内，需要立即采取纠正措施。事实证明，所采用的方法是识别手工炊具制造商工效学暴露的一种有效且可靠的策略。
