Ergonomic Design Issues in Some Craft Sectors of Jaipur

This paper investigates the risk factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders in three craft sectors of Jaipur in India. The sectors considered were those of blue pottery, handloom and gota patti. Observational methods like Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and OVAKO for postural analysis were applied. The Occupational Repetitive Action Index (OCRA) and Strain Index (SI) were also used to gauge the extent of repetitiveness and strain in the work. These investigations gave valuable insight into the fact that many of the working conditions were hazardous and demanded immediate intervention. It also indicated that the physical design of tools and workstations alone would not solve the problems. The designer needs to look into non-physical design issues like the work/rest cycle, process design, physical exercise and training to effectively control the different risk factors in the genesis of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.