Analysis of Musculoskeletal Disorders of Agricultural Workers

Abstract

Agriculture is considered the most important sector in India. The contribution of Agriculture and allied sector in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country has reached about 14 percent in 2011-12. Agriculture is the major occupation in rural area of Madurai district. It has 1.36 lakh ha of cultivable land. About one hundred fifty samples are selected in rural area of Madurai district for the study. The mean age of the agriculture workers was 47 years (±9.69). Majority of the workers were female (79%) and rest were male (21%). Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are common among agriculture workers. Analysis of the MSD’s indicates that Low Back Pain (72%) was the most predominant discomfort followed by knee (70%), leg (69%) and head (62%). Further analysis of low back pain indicates that 32%of the workers faced extreme discomfort, followed by severe discomfort (34%). Thirty six percent of the workers reported extreme discomfort in knee, while 32 percent indicated severe discomforts. Extreme discomfort and severe discomfort in leg was reported by 26 percent and 35 percent respectively. These discomforts may be due to prolonged standing work and also other agriculture operation which necessitated frequent bending. Use of improved agricultural tools for varied agricultural operations may mitigate this problem. Governmental efforts are also aimed to address these issues.