Today in India the readymade garments sector has had an commendable and impressive growth and is an an important contributer to Indias export basket. But who knows what goes on inside in the industry ,the workers have to sit or stand throughout the day in constricted places to reach targets for the day. There are many factors which contribute to loss of their productivity ,it not only depends on the skill matrix or level ,but also on many other factors like :
- Enviroinment-Too hot or cold enviroinment
- Inadequate illumination
- Unsafe and unhealthy workplaces
- Lack of ventilation
- Poorly designed work stations
The garment industry may be a safe place to work in ,but the workers face subtle hazards the effects of which accumalate over time.This happens in the sewing section very frequently.The workers in sewing floor face more musculo skeletal disorders.The frequency of shoulder and neck injury increases.A major factor contributing to this is is poorly designed workstations like poorly designed chairs.Other factors owing to this are repetition,force,postures,vibrations etc.
To curb these problems ,Ergonomics comes into the picture .Ergonomics is nothing but a science that that focuses on designing a job for a worker.An ergonomically designed job should ensure that a tall worker has enough space to perform his job as well as a short worker can have enough reach and grasp.
Few solutions to curb the problems are:-
1.Inspection tables should have an inclination of 12 degrees to enable the workers to see the garment as well as maintain postural stability.
2.Tools like shears should be made of flexible polyethylene materials to give comfort while cutting after prolonged use.
3.A minimum lighting level of 400 lx should be maintained .
4.Proper dust control systems should be used especially in cutting sections where fine dust is a problem.The minimum the operators have to do to curb this is wear meshed masks.
5.The knee lifters and other aids should have a soft padding material
6. Noise levels have to be curbed by using work aids like earmuffs and also can be curbed at the machine level by regular maintenance and regular lubrication
These are few solutions to start with .If the ergonomics aspect is given more importance,then Productivity and interest in work can increase