31. Senior Labour Inspectors Committee (Available from http://www
5.2 Ergonomic workplaces in garment manufacture preparation
The task of preparing the production is to determine all the circumstances of production so the process can be carried out normally, with no improvisation.
Preparation of production includes constructional, technological and operational preparation. Technological preparation includes determining the technological process, the selection of machines, tools and determining the material quality.
Operational preparations include developing plans for individual production facilities, determining the amount of material, determining the time of manufacture, the production of necessary documents and so on.
Besides the technological preparation, operational preparation has very important roles in the overall construction output in the garment industry. The operative preparation usually consists of the following tasks: determining the capacity of production, production planning, production monitoring, planning the necessary quantities of materials, launching work orders, scheduling of production, and assembly of data for plan calculation.
Jobs in production preparation are the jobs that are now increasingly carried out in offi ces on computers, using Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems (for design, garment constructions, making cutting layout) and software for production planning (production planning, technical and technological documentation) (see Chapter 2).
Workers on computers tend to keep their body in a fi xed position for long periods of time in order to maintain a continuous physical relation with the equipment. For example, a worker must maintain a fi xed spatial relation between his shoulders and the keyboard so that he could use the proper key each time, without looking. Owing to the non-physiological position of the shoulder, they often keep the neck in a fi xed position too as a result of continuous looking at the text to be typed or at the computer monitor. These workers feel fatigue and pain in the neck, upper back, shoulders, arms and wrists, especially when they use the computer for long periods of time. They also have problems with eyesight due to long hours of looking at the computer monitor.
Figure 5.6 shows the workplace of a fashion designer.
Figure 5.6 Workplace of a fashion designer
A person who works on the computer is exposed to prolonged and motionless sitting and uses only his fi ngers, hands, eyes, and the mind. He sits at the workplace for a long time without a break, increasing the risk of
overstrained muscles and wrist stiffness. The consequences of sitting at the computer for a long period of time may vary, from fatigue, stiffness and discomfort to some serious health problems. The display of health problems and their manifestation in the work with the computer is given in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1 Display of health problems and their manifestation in the work with the computer.
Category Manifestation
Eyesight
- Stress, fatigue, and infl ammation of the eyes - Irritation, dryness, and burning
- Conjunctiva - Blurred eyesight
- Problems with differing colors
Hearing - Growing deaf
- Hearing loss
Hands - Spasms in the hands - Pain and loss of strength - Stiffness of joints - Fingers numbness Neck and back - Overstrain and neck pain
- Stiff neck and shoulders - Pressure in the head and neck - Back pain
- Damage to the spine Muscular system
and bloodstream
- Loss of power and energy - Overstrain of certain muscles - Muscle swelling and spasms - Disorders in the bloodstream Psyche - Loss of concentration
- Depression, stress, frustration - Nervousness, irritability - Mental fatigue
- Disorders in the ability to work
- The tendency to incapacitating devices and programs (continue)
Category Manifestation Other - Skin rashes and other allergies
- Burning and itchy skin - Headaches, insomnia - Pain
- Epileptic seizure
Serious medical conditions can result from:
(1) Frequent injuries – cumulative trauma disorders (CTD).
(2) Injuries caused by stress due to frequent repetitions of the same movements – repetitive stress injuries (RSI), such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), tendonitis, and Tennis elbow.
Around 15% of users whose full-time job includes working at the keyboard suffer from CTS. The hand is capable of performing six types of movements, each involving a different muscle group. Typing covers only one of these groups, and its prolonged usage leads to a certain type of stress due to the unbalanced use of the other muscle groups. The most common symptom is the feeling that the whole hand becomes numb (actually only the thumb, index and middle fi nger get numb), dropping things from the hand or the feeling of impulse from the wrist into the hand. Figure 5.7 shows the arm area affected by CTS.
Transverse carpal ligament Carpal tunnel
Pain and numbness
Place pressure on the nerve
Median nerve
Figure 5.7 The arm area affected by the Carpal tunnel syndrome About 25% of all the people who work at a computer suffer from CTS and it is estimated that this percentage will increase to 50% within fi ve years.
Women suffer twice as much as men. Owing to CTS, employees are mostly absent from work (30 days or more).
Table 5.1. (continue)
Tendinitis is an infl ammation or irritated condition of the tendon – the tissue that connects muscles and bones. This condition, which causes pain and discomfort around the wrists, usually occurs around the shoulders, elbows and knees or around any wrist of the body. The dimensions of an ergonomic chair and leg space at a desk are shown in Fig. 5.8.
96-110°
38-43 cm
2-5°
45 cm 15-30 cm 20-30 cm35-51 cm
leg space
Figure 5.8 Dimensions of ergonomic chair and leg space
Tennis elbow is an infl ammation of the tendon-bone joint (Fig. 5.9). It is a condition when the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and sensitive, usually as a result of strain, over-training or a direct blow.
Humerus
Lateral
epicondyle Tendon (inflamed) Ulna
Figure 5.9 Tennis elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
The problem is often the space, its size, lighting, ventilation and humidity.
Many, especially old, offi ces were designed to work with papers and are not eligible for ergonomic computer work. Setting up the screen in front of a window or in front of very shiny surfaces can cause direct dazzling of the computer screen. Refl ections on the screen caused by the position of windows, lamps or other shiny surfaces can cause a reduced contrast on the screen.
Microclimatic parameters of the working environment for computer work are
(1) minimum brightness of 300 lx (2) humidity in a room from 40% to 60%
(3) room temperature from 20°C to 24°C and
(4) noise in the room up to 60 dB (the average noise of the computer is 35 to 50 dB)
Recommendations for the amount of light that should be available for the type of work for offi ce work or in a garment factory:
• general tasks 500 lx
• more detailed work 750 lx
• very fi ne work 1000 lx
Illumination values for the CAD system range between 300 lx and 600 lx.
The electrical system in the offi ces must also be taken into an account because of work safety (Fig. 5.10). The measures for protection against indirect and direct contact with electrical parts must be taken. Cables must be installed in such a way that they are not pressed anywhere, do not go over sharp edges or movable parts of the furniture where they could be damaged.
Figure 5.10 Electrical cables in the offi ces
Apparatus and devices in the offi ces (phone, copy machines, coffee makers, etc.) must be ergonomically designed because they contribute to productivity and user satisfaction. Therefore they must be constructed to be safe for the health and life of users (mechanical hazard, risk of electrical current, hazardous materials, radiation, and noise).
Many garment manufacturers in the world still operate in the old way with the technical and technological preparation carried out in the offi ces
without computers, and constructional preparation without using CAD systems. Traditional constructional preparation is a very diffi cult mental and physical work. Figure 5.11 shows the posture of workers in the construction of garments.
Figure 5.11 The posture of workers in the construction of garments When cutting paper for patterns, workers often hurt the skin on their fi ngers because of the excessive use of scissors. This leads to the swelling of fi ngers.
Many workers wrap the handles of the scissors with a piece of cloth/cotton to reduce the friction of the metallic handle on the muscles, resulting in fatigue.
In manual marker making, marking is done around each pattern (Fig. 5.12).
Work should be organized in an easy and natural rhythm.
Figure 5.12 The position of fi ngers in manual marker making