An Analysis of Working Postures of Workers in the Apparel Industry using Observational Ergonomic Assessment Tools: A Case Study

The challenging demands of the apparel sector entail employees to perform repetitive tasks for longer periods. The adoption of unhealthy, awkward postures by the employees for prolonged periods causes discomfort, fatigue, and even musculoskeletal disorders. This study was conducted to analyze the working postures of the employees in the apparel sector, identify the risks and effects of awkward postures on employee wellbeing, and provide recommendations to mitigate these effects. A prominent textile factory in Sri Lanka, was selected for the study. The study adopted stratified sampling method to select employees from five departments of the company; raw material store, sample room, cutting department, production floor and finishing department. Three to five photographs of each employee were taken in their working environment on a random basis and photographs that failed to reflect the working postures were omitted from the analysis and arrived at a sample of 202 employees. Two observational methods of risk assessment were used to calculate two ergonomic scores: Ovako Working posture Analysis System score, and Rapid Entire Body Assessment Score. Number of employees across risk levels, was tabulated for each department as the input for the percentage component bar graphs. The detailed results from the Rapid Entire Body Assessment score were formed into a contingency table as the input for the correspondence analysis. The study found that the majority of the employees had a low to middle-range level of ergonomic risk. The correspondence analysis identified production floor, and sample room as high risk where there was a likely occurrence of Musculo Skeletal Disorders relating to the neck, back, and arms. The raw material store and the cutting department showed a similarity which indicated potential disorders relating to arms and legs. An elevated sitting posture, inclined and adjustable workstations and better lighting were recommended to mitigate ergonomic issues.