Assessment of Postural Load during Melon Cultivation in Mediterranean Greenhouses

Marta Gómez-Galán, José Pérez-Alonso, Ángel-Jesús Callejón-Ferre and Julián Sánchez-Hermosilla-López
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Marta Gómez-Galán: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
José Pérez-Alonso: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Ángel-Jesús Callejón-Ferre: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Julián Sánchez-Hermosilla-López: Department of Engineering, University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 8, 1-33

Abstract: Health and safety at work directly influence the development of sustainable agriculture. In the agricultural sector, many farm workers suffer musculoskeletal disorders caused by forced posture. The objective of this research is to assess working postures during melon cultivation in Almería-type greenhouses. The Ovako Working Posture Assessment System (OWAS) has been used with pictures of the tasks. The variables studied by multiple correspondence analysis were as follows: Subtask, Posture code, Back, Arms, Legs, Load, Risk, and Risk combination. The OWAS analysis showed that 47.57% of the postures were assessed as risk category 2, 14.32% as risk category 3, 0.47% as risk category 4, and the rest as risk category 1. Corrective measures should be implemented immediately, as soon as possible, or in the near future, depending on the risks detected.

Keywords: sustainable agriculture; musculoskeletal disorders; work postures; melon; greenhouse; OWAS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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