ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF TEXTILE & FASHION

BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY (EiTEX)

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Review Paper on:- [Pick the date]

Ergonomic workplace design and its related factors

on the workplace.
By:-
Eyob Minbale
1st year MSc in Fashion Technology

Submitted to: - Dr. Shalemu Sharew (PHD)

Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology,

Bahir Dar University
Bahir Dar,
Ethiopia
January 2021
Table of Contents

1 Introduction ....................................................................................... - 1 -

2 Summary of each research articles ........................................................... - 1 -

3 Contribution of each research articles ...................................................... - 2 -

4 Limitations/gap of the articles ................................................................ - 3 -

5 Future work scope/future directions of the articles ...................................... - 4 -

6 Conclusion ......................................................................................... - 4 -

7 Reference ......................................................................................... - 4 -

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1 Introduction
This review helps to add understanding of the ergonomic workplace condition and its work-related
factors. Workplace design means an arrangement/design of the working system (man-machine-
environment) in accordance with anthropometric characteristics of each individual worker. And
anthropometric measures of the operator are vital in the designing of ergonomic workplace. Three
research articles related to ergonomic workplace design are reviewed. The review results mainly focuses
on the summery, contribution, limitation/gap, and future work scope or future direction of each research
articles.

2 Summary of each research articles

The study aims to examine the working conditions of standing sewing machine operators (SSMOs) and
helps to identify the potential suggestions for ergonomic interventions for SSMOs. The data analysis
was performed by SPSS software. The sample includes 552 female sewing machine operators. Cornell
musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaires (CMDQ) were used. REBA and SI were used to assess the
ergonomic risks. The finding of the study indicates that there is a poor working condition and it needs
immediate improvements. The highest occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms was in knee, foot,
thigh, lower leg and lower back of SSMOs (Nagaraj, Jeyapaul, & Mathiyazhagan, 2019).

The study aims to investigate a parameter to design a workplace ergonomically and provide a guideline
to design a sewing workplace. SPSS was used to analysis the collected data. To conduct the experiment
the researcher use 9 respondents and use the three design parameters (fore/aft sewing distance, sewing
desk inclination, sewing desk height) of the sewing workstation as an independent variables. The study
is conducted only on female operators. The study also investigate the effects of three design parameters
(fore/aft sewing distance, sewing desk inclination, sewing desk height) of sewing workstations and
develops a guideline for sewing workplace design. Finally the study provides/develop a guideline for
designing a workplace ergonomically to improve working posture: (1) the fore/aft sewing distance
should be adjusted at 140 mm towards the sewing machine; (2) a 10° inclination of sewing desk towards
sewing machine operator; (3) sewing desk height should be adjusted to 762–787 mm. The proper use of
this methodology will improve the working posture and results in reducing the postural stress of sewing
machine operators and will reduce risk of musculoskeletal disorder (Tondre & Deshmukh, 2019).
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The study aims to evaluate the working condition and the occurrences of work-related factors in the
workplace. The study was used rapid upper limp assessment (RUBA) method to analysis 251(151 male
and 100 female) respondents working posture. And the study finds out that, there is a poor working
condition and it needs an immediate improvement. Musculoskeletal pain and discomfort needs an
ergonomics intervention for improving the working condition. The symptoms and weight of
musculoskeletal pain and discomfort in female and male are different. Work organization factors
including long duration of sitting work without a break and prolonged working hours per shift, as well as
other work-related variables such as the number of years worked as an operator and feeling pressure due
to work were also found to be associated with the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms in different
body regions (Dianat, Kord, Yahyazade, Karimi, & Stedmon, 2015).

3 Contribution of each research articles

Generally each research articles assess the working conditions of the workplace. Each study of the
workplace design find out that there is poor working condition and provide the way of designing the
workplace ergonomically. The study improves the understanding about the occurrences of
musculoskeletal disorder and associated ergonomic risk factors. The study provides a clear
understanding of the working conditions of standing sewing machine operators (SSMOs) with respect to
musculoskeletal disorder occurrences and related risk factors. The study highlighted the highest
occurrences of MSK symptoms in both lower and upper bodies of SSMOs. It provides evidence that
both physical and psychological work factors are related to increased risk of MSD among SSMOs. In
the last provide a general guideline to reduce discomfort among standing workers (Nagaraj et al., 2019).

The studies provide a parameter and some critical phases to design a workplace ergonomically. The
parameters are: sitting height, working surface height and distance, zones of normal and maximum
reach, and necessary field of visions. The phases to design a workplace ergonomically are: working
chair height is equal to popliteal lower leg length plus 2cm(footwear) plus 5cm(pedal regulatory
thickness), back contour plane is equal to chest thickness plus 15 to 20 cm represents the distance from
the chest to the working surface edge, working surface height is determine according to the thickness of
the upper leg increased by 15 to 20cm represents a border of free space in which the operator has the
necessary degree of free movement, the zone of normal(the movement from the elbow) and
maximum(zone of outstretched arm) reach is the ability of arm movement in the working surface

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movement and angle of sight construction are determining according to the central plane of sight which
is defined by eye height when sitting (Dianat et al., 2015).

The study investigate the effects of three design parameters (fore/aft sewing distance, sewing desk
inclination, sewing desk height) of sewing workstations and develops a guideline for sewing workplace
design. The inclined desk helps to reduce back muscle activities also reduce fatigue and discomfort. The
study elaborates the importance of ergonomically designed workplace and its contributions to the
business, to the work, and to the operator in both economical and physical aspects (Tondre &
Deshmukh, 2019).

4 Limitations/gap of the articles

The title is across the country, but the study is conducted in a particular case company and the sample
used to conduct in this study is too small, also the study didn’t using the relevant musculoskeletal
disorder assessment type of questionnaires’’ (Dianat et al., 2015).

The study is only conducted on female operator and standing sewing machine operators. Also the study
is conducted on a particular case company. The study does not considers organizational and
environmental (noise, humidity and light) factors as cofounder (Nagaraj et al., 2019).

The study does not use proper ergonomic assessment tool and relevant ergonomic assessment
questionaries’ methodology to analysis work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD), the study just
used operator’s perceptions and working posture. The study is only conducted on female operators. The
experiment design of the study is not clearly designed scientifically. A very few number of subject test is
used. The study has more judgmental view other than scientific view(Tondre & Deshmukh, 2019).

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5 Future work scope/future directions of the articles
To be more scientific, the study is better to conduct by using proper ergonomic assessment tools like
REBA, RULA, also by using relevant ergonomic methodology of questionnaires. A greater number of
test subjects are recommended for future research and it is much better, if it is conducted in both genders
and in large number of respondents (Tondre & Deshmukh, 2019).

The study has to conduct in both gender and on sitting vs. standing sewing machine operators in the
nation level. The study is better to conduct by considering organizational and environmental (noise,
humidity and light) factors as cofounders (Nagaraj et al., 2019).

The study is better to conduct across the country with adequate number of respondents and relevant
body posture assessment tools and questioners. To make the study strongly valid internal and externally,
must incorporate work-related factor, individual factors and lifestyle factors to evaluate the working
conditions and to re-design the workplace (Dianat et al., 2015).

6 Conclusion
To design the workplaces ergonomically, an engineer have to consider the demographic characteristics
(like: gender, age, pregnant, etc.) of the operator and the anthropometric measure of each individual
operators. In addition before designing a workplace must be assess the working condition and the
perceptions of the operator on the interaction of man-machine-environments by using standard
ergonomic assessment tools and develop in simulations form.

7 Reference
Dianat, I., Kord, M., Yahyazade, P., Karimi, M. A., & Stedmon, A. W. J. A. E. (2015). Association of
individual and work-related risk factors with musculoskeletal symptoms among Iranian sewing
machine operators. 51, 180-188.
Nagaraj, T. S., Jeyapaul, R., & Mathiyazhagan, K. J. I. J. o. I. E. (2019). Evaluation of ergonomic
working conditions among standing sewing machine operators in Sri Lanka. 70, 70-83.
Tondre, S., & Deshmukh, T. J. I. j. o. i. e. (2019). Guidelines to sewing machine workstation design for
improving working posture of sewing operator. 71, 37-46.

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