Assessment of Mental Fatigue among Chikan Embroidery Workers of West Bengal

Abstract

Chikan embroidery is one of the most popular forms of hand embroidery in villages of West Bengal. Embroidery production employs poor women workers on piece rates. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of mental fatigue among the workers. Modified Nordic questionnaire was performed among the embroiders. Afterwards, Critical flicker fusion frequency(cycles/sec) was performed on 100 chikan embroidery workers and 100 same aged female post graduate students and research scholars using critical flicker fusion frequency test apparatus. The embroiders were asked to embroider for an hour, while the control group was asked to play a boring computer game for an hour. Flicker and fusion frequencies were deliberated before and after the assignments in both cases. Student’s t test was performed between embroiders and the control group to observe whether there was any significant difference between before and after work critical flicker and fusion frequencies. Before work flicker frequency was 34± 3.6 in embroiders and 35.4±3.0 in control group. After work flicker frequency was 30±2.1 in embroiders and 32.2±2.9 in control group. Before work fusion frequency was 33 ± 2.6 in embroiders and 34.6±2.2 in control group. After work fusion frequency was 30.8±2.5 in embroiders and 32.9±2.7 in control group. Significant differences were observed (P<0.05) between the values of differences of fusion and flicker frequencies before and after work. This suggests that both flicker and fusion frequencies decrease significantly in chikan embroiderers after one hour of embroidering. The result entails the fact that as chikan embroidery is a highly monotonous job, the embroiders usually get mentally fatigued after the task and this is a matter of grave concern