Repetitive Movements in Melon Cultivation Workers under Greenhouses

Marta Gómez-Galán, Ángel-Jesús Callejón-Ferre, José Pérez-Alonso, Manuel Díaz-Pérez and Iacopo Golasi
Additional contact information
Marta Gómez-Galán: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Research Center CIMEDES (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Ángel-Jesús Callejón-Ferre: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Research Center CIMEDES (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
José Pérez-Alonso: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Research Center CIMEDES (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Manuel Díaz-Pérez: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Research Center CIMEDES (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Iacopo Golasi: DIAEE-Area Fisica Tecnica, Università degli Studi di Roma “Sapienza”, 00184 Rome, Italy

Agriculture, 2019, vol. 9, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: Musculoskeletal disorders cause serious problems that affect workers in many sectors. The objective of this study is the ergonomic analysis of melon cultivation farmers in Almeria-type greenhouses. For this, the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method has been applied after carrying out a detailed process of observing the farmers’ tasks. The study shows that 65% of the postures have a very-high-risk level, 26% high, 9% average, and no posture is found with a low risk. They also show that in 69.57% of the postures, the upper limbs are less affected than the others such as the neck, trunk, and lower limbs. Measures are proposed to improve the working conditions for workers.

Keywords: musculoskeletal disorders; greenhouse; RULA; biomechanics; ergonomics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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