the role of ergonomics in prevention of occupational health hazard at workplace

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SEMINAR REPORT SEMINAR REPORT (SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY) ON THE ROLE OF ERGONOMICS IN PREVENTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARD AT WORKPLACE SESSION 2011-2012 UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF Prof (Dr).P.K.Bharti H.O.D.Mechanical engineering Department (Seminar Co-ordinator) SUBMITTED BY Syed Shauzab Abidi M.Tech II Year of Production And Industrial Engineering Submitted By: SYED SHAUZAB ABIDI

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Page 1: THE ROLE OF ERGONOMICS IN PREVENTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARD AT WORKPLACE

SEMINAR REPORT

SEMINAR REPORT(SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY)

ON

THE ROLE OF ERGONOMICS IN PREVENTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARD AT

WORKPLACE

SESSION 2011-2012

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Prof (Dr).P.K.Bharti H.O.D.Mechanical engineering Department

(Seminar Co-ordinator)

SUBMITTED BY

Syed Shauzab AbidiM.Tech II Year of Production And Industrial Engineering

INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY LUCKNOWPhone No.: 0522-2890812, 2890730, 3096117

Fax: 0522-2890809Web: www.integraluniversity.ac.in

Submitted By: SYED SHAUZAB ABIDI

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that SYED SHAUZAB ABIDI has completed necessary Seminar work & prepared the bonafied report on” THE ROLE OF ERGONOMICS

IN PREVENTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARD AT WORKPLACE” in satisfactory manner as the partial fulfillment for the requirement of the degree of M.Tech (Production and Industrial Engineering) Of INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW under the guidance of his faculty within his time limit and his full effort to make his Seminar good.

Prof (Dr).P.K.Bharti Prof.Sirajul HaqueH.O.D.Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering Department Department(Seminar Co-ordinator)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take the opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Prof.(Dr).P.K.Bharti(Department Of Production and Industrial engineering) and Mr.Abhishek Dirvedi for his valuable advice and guidance for the success of this seminar. I also thank to all other staff of the department for their kind co-operation extended to me. Also I am extending my gratitude to everyone who helped me in the successful presentation of this seminar.

I am thankful to all my friends who helped me in completing my seminar a successful one. I am also thankful to all the people who were directly or indirectly involved me in helping to complete my seminar report.

Syed Shauzab Abidi

M.Tech ( IInd Year ) ( Production &Industrial engineering)

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INDEX

SNO. TOPIC PAGE NO.

1. Introduction 6

2. Occupational Hazards 7

3. Literature Review 12

4. Prevention Strategies 12

5. Case Study 1 23

6. Case Study 2 24

7. Conclusion 25

8. Future Developments 25

9. Reference 26

10.

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12

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FIGURE

Page No.

Figure 1 13

Figure 2 14

Figure 3 15

Figure 4 16

Figure 5 17

Figure 6 18

Figure 7 19

Figure 8 20

Figure 9 21

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1-Introduction

It is an undeniable fact that ergonomics contributes to safety and health but its role in OSH legislation is not widely appreciated and has not received consistent attention. This report attempts to discuss the extent and effect of ergonomics influence in OSH legislation. Some current issues are highlighted. The outcome of the study is to highlight the importance of ergonomics on OSH and to propose possible areas for further research.Improving worker productivity, and occupational health and safety (OHS) are major concerns in industry, especially in developing countries. Some of the common problems are improper workplace design, ill-structured jobs, mismatch between worker abilities and job demands, adverse environment, poor human–machine system design and inappropriate management programs. This leads to workplace hazards, poor workers’ health, mechanical equipment injuries, disabilities, and in turn reduces worker productivity and product/work quality, and increases cost. Ergonomics or human factors application has been found to improve worker productivity, occupational health, safety and satisfaction. This has both direct and indirect effects on overall performance. It would, therefore, be extremely difficult to attain a company’ objectives without giving proper consideration to ergonomics.

Effective application of ergonomics in work system design can achieve a balance between worker characteristics and task demands. This can enhance worker productivity, provide worker safety and physical and mental well being, and job satisfaction. Many studies have shown positive effects of applying ergonomic principles to the workplace, in machine design, in job design, and in environment and facilities design ( Burri & Helander, 1991; Das, 1987; Das & Sengupta, 1996; Das & Shikdar, 1999; Hasselquist, 1981; Resnick & Zanotti, 1997; Ryan, 1989; Schanauber, 1986; Shikdar & Das, 1995). Studies in ergonomics have also produced data and guidelines for industrial applications. The features of ergonomic design of machines, workstations, facilities are well known ( Chapanis, 1979; Das & Grady , 1983; Grandjean, 1988; Konz, 1995; McLeod, 1995; Melamed, Luz, Najemson, Jucha, & Green, 1989; Murrel, 1965; Ryan, 1987; Salvendy, 1987; Sanders & McCormick, 1992; Wilson & Corlett, 1992). However, there is still a low level of acceptance and limited application in industry. The main concern of work system design is usually the improvement of machines and tools. Inadequate or no consideration is given to the work system as a whole. Therefore, poorly designed work systems are common place in industry ( Das, 1987; Konz, 199 5). Neglect of ergonomic principles brings inefficiency and pain to the workforce. An ergonomically deficient workplace can cause physical and emotional stress, low productivity and poor quality of work ( Ayoub, 1990a,b).

It is believed that ergonomic deficiencies in industry are a root cause of workplace health hazards, low levels of safety, and reduced worker productivity and quality. Although ergonomics applications have gained significant momentum in developed countries, awareness remains low in developing regions. Ergonomics technology, if properly applied, can eliminate or reduce OHS problems in the workplace and

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enhance performance. Lower injuries mean lower medical and compensation costs, less loss of wages and workdays, and financial benefit to the company. The application of ergonomics in improving OHS needs to be explored for the oil industry in desert environments.

Work in the oil industry involves diverse activities including work in rigs, workshops, and offices. Heat stress as a potential safety and health hazard has been recognized in the literature and guidelines for exposure have been formulated ( Hancock & Vasmatzidis, 1998). A significant proportion of workers in the oil industry in hot arid areas, such as the Arabian Gulf, are exposed to heat stress. As a standard schedule, an 8 h work shift is adopted in offices, while a 12 h work shift is adopted on rigs. The normal office work schedule is 8 a.m.–4 p.m., 5 days a week; where as the schedule in the desert/rigs are from 6 a.m.–6 p.m. and 6 p.m.–6 a.m., shift work, with normal breaks.

It is generally more effective to examine work conditions on a case-by-case basis when applying ergonomic principles to solve or prevent health and safety problems.

Occupational Hazards(37)A worker may be exposed to five types of hazards, depending upon his/her occupation:

Physical Hazards Chemical Hazards

Biological Hazards Mechanical Hazards

Psychosocial Hazards

Ergonomical Hazards

Physical Hazards

1.Heat and Cold

In India, the most common physical hazard is heat. The direct effects of heat exposure are burns, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and heat cramps; the indirect effects are decreased efficiency, increased fatigue and enhanced accident rates. Many industries have local “hot spots” – ovens and furnaces, which radiate heat. Radiant heat is the main problem in foundry, glass and steel industries, while heat stagnation is the principal problem in jute and cotton textile. High temperatures are also found in mines. Physical work under such conditions is very stressful and impairs the health and efficiency of the workers. For gainful work involving sustained and repeated effort, a reasonable temperature must be maintained in each work room. Important hazards associated with cold work are chilblains, erythrocyanosis, immersion foot, and frostbite as a result of cutaneous vasoconstriction. General hypothermia is not unusual.

2. Light

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The workers may be exposed to the risk of poor illumination or excessive brightness. The acute effects of poor illumination are eye strain, headache, eye pain, lachrymation, congestion around the cornea and eye fatigue. The chronic effects on health include “miners’s nystagmus”. Exposure to excessive brightness or “glare” is associated with discomfort, annoyance and visual fatigue. Intense direct glare may also result in blurring of vision and lead to accidents. There should be sufficient and suitable lighting, natural or artificial, wherever persons are working.

3. Noise

Noise is a health hazard in many industries. The effects of noise are of two types:

(i)    Auditory effects - which consist of temporary or permanent hearing loss

(ii)   Non-auditory effects – which consist of nervousness, fatigue, interference with communication by speech, decreased efficiency and annoyance.

The degree of injury from exposure to noise depends upon a number of factors such as intensity and frequency range, duration of exposure and individual susceptibility.

4. Vibration

Vibration, especially in the frequency range 10 to 500 Hz. May be encountered in work with pneumatic tools such as drills and hammers. Vibration usually affects the hands and arms. After some months or years of exposure, the fine blood vessels of the fingers may become increasingly sensitive to spasm (white fingers). Exposure to vibration may also produce injuries of the joints, of the hands, elbows and shoulders.

5. Ultraviolet Radiation

Occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation occurs mainly in arc welding. Such radiation occurs mainly affects the eyes, causing intense conjunctivitis and keratitis (welder’s flash). Symptoms are redness of the eyes and pain, these usually disappear in a few days with no permanent effect on the vision or on the deeper structures of the eye.

6.  Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation is finding increasing application in medicine and industry, e.g. x-rays and radio active isotopes. Important radio-isotopes are cobalt60 and phosphorus32. Certain tissues such as bonemarrow are more sensitive than others and from a genetic standpoint; there are special hazards when the gonads are exposed. The

Radiation hazards comprise genetic changes, malformation, cancer, leukemia, depilation, ulceration, sterility and in extreme cases death. The International

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Commission of Radiological Protection has set the maximum permissible level of occupational exposure at 5 rem per year to the whole body.

Chemical Hazards

There is hardly any industry which does not make use of chemicals. The chemical hazards are on the increase with the introduction of newer and complex chemicals. Chemical agents act in three ways: local action, inhalation and ingestion. The ill-effects produced depend upon the duration of exposure, the quantum of exposure and individual susceptibility.

1. Local Action

Some chemicals cause dermatitis, eczema, ulcers and even cancer by primary irritant action; some cause dermatitis by an allergic action. Some chemicals, particularly the aromatic nitro and amino compounds such as TNT and aniline are absorbed through the skin and cause systemic effects. Occupational dermatitis is a big problem in industry.

2. Inhalation

(i)                  Dusts – Dusts are finely divided solid particles with size ranging from 0.1 to 150 microns. They are released into the atmosphere during crushing, grinding, abrading, loading and unloading operations. Dusts are produced in a number of industries – mines, foundry quarry, pottery, textile, wood or stone working industries. Dust particles larger than 10 microns settle down from the air rapidly, while the smaller ones remain suspended indefinitely. Particles smaller than 5 microns are directly inhaled into the lungs and are retained there. This fraction of the dust is called “respirable dust”, and is mainly responsible for pneumoconiosis. Dusts have been classified into inorganic and organic dusts; soluble and insoluble dusts. The inorganic dusts are silica, mica, coal, asbestos dust, etc.; the organic dusts are cotton, jute and the like. The soluble dusts dissolve slowly, enter the systemic circulation and are eventually eliminated by body metabolism. The insoluble dusts remain, more or less, permanently in the lungs. They are mainly the cause of pneumoconiosis. The most common dust diseases are silicosis and anthracosis

(ii)                Gases – Exposure to gases is a common hazard in industries. Gases are sometimes classified as simple gases (e.g. oxygen, hydrogen), asphyxiating gases (e.g. carbon monoxide, cyanide gas, sulphur dioxide, chlorine) and anesthetic gases (e.g. chloroform, ether, trichlorethylene). Carbon monoxide hazard is frequently reported in coal-gas manufacturing plants and steel industry.

(iii)        Metals and their Compounds – A large number of metals and their compounds are used throughout industry. The chief mode of entry of some of them is by inhalation as dust or fumes. The industrial physician should be aware of the toxic effects of lead, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, manganese, mercury, phosphorus, chromium, zinc and others. The ill-effects depend upon the duration of exposure and the dose or concentration of exposure. Unlike the pneumoconiosis, most chemical intoxications respond favourably to cessation, exposure and medical treatment.

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3. Ingestion

Occupational diseases may also result from ingestion of chemical substances such as lead, mercury, arsenic, zinc, chromium, cadmium, phosphorus, etc. Usually these substances are swallowed in minute amounts through contaminated hands, food or cigarettes. Much of the ingested material is excreted through faeces and only a small proportion may reach the general blood circulation.

Biological hazards

Workers may be exposed to infective and parasitic agents at the place of work. The occupational diseases in this category are brucellosis, leptospirosis, anthrax, hydatidosis, psittacosis, tetanus, encephalitis, fungal infections, schistosomiasis and a host of others. Persons working among animal products (e.g. hair, wool, hides) and agricultural workers are specially exposed to biological hazards.

Mechanical hazards

The mechanical hazards in industry centre round machinery, protruding and moving parts and the like. About 10% of accidents in industry are said to be due to mechanical causes.

 

Psychosocial hazards

The psychosocial hazards arise from the workers’ failure to adapt to an alien psychosocial environment. Frustration, lack of job satisfaction, insecurity, poor human relationships, emotional tension are some of the psychosocial factors which may undermine both physical and mental health of the workers. The capacity to adapt to different working environments is influenced by many factors such as education, cultural background, family life, social habits and what the worker expects from employment.

The health effects can be classified in two main categories –

a)      Psychological and behavioural changes – including hostility, aggressiveness, anxiety, depression, tardiness, alcoholism, drug abuse, sickness absenteeism

b)      Psychosomatic ill health – including fatigue, headache; pain in the shoulders, neck and back; propensity to peptic ulcer, hypertension, heart disease and rapid aging.

The physical factors (heat, noise, poor lighting) play a major role in adding to or precipitating mental disorders among workers. The increasing stress on automation, electronic operations and nuclear energy may introduce newer psychosocial health problems in industry. Psychosocial hazards are there fore assuming more importance than physical or chemical hazards.

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Ergonomic Hazards 

Ergonomic hazards refer to workplace conditions that pose the risk of injury to the musculoskeletal system of the worker. Examples of musculoskeletal injuries include tennis elbow (an inflammation of a tendon in the elbow) and carpal tunnel syndrome (a condition affecting the hand and wrist). Ergonomic hazards include repetitive and forceful movements, vibration, temperature extremes, and awkward postures that arise from improper work methods and improperly designed workstations, tools, and equipment(38)Ergonomic hazards occur when the type of work, body position and working conditions put strain on your body. They are the hardest to spot since you don't always immediately notice the strain on your body or the harm these hazards pose. Short-term exposure may result in "sore muscles" the next day or in the days following exposure, but long term exposure can result in serious long-term injuries.

Ergonomic hazards include:poor lighting improperly adjusted workstations and chairs frequent lifting poor posture awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive repeating the same movements over and over having to use too much force, especially if you have to do it frequently.

Common Symptoms of MSDs(36)

Painful joints Pain, tingling, numbness in hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, knees and feet Shooting or stubbing pains Swelling or inflammation Fingers or toes turning white Back or neck pain Stiffness

Risk Factor

Static postureForceful exertionRepetitive movementAwkward posture

2-Literature ReviewA commonly held understanding is that ergonomics is both a science as well as practice [3]. By implementing good ergonomics practices, we would be able to achieve job satisfaction [4], and contribute significantly to human well-being and safety due to comfortable work area and designed tools, man- machine interface

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design and suitable work methods to human anatomy [5]. Indirectly, it is also possible to improve quality, productivity, working conditions, reduction of rejects, rejection cost and increase profits [6]. At the same time, ergonomics hazards concerns may give a big impact towards industries if the risks are taken for granted.

The situation nowadays is that firms are often guilty of not being aware of repetitiveness movement. Awkward and static posture will affect to tiredness, numbness, uncomfortable, illness and consequently more serious injuries like back pain, faints and slipped disks. This will lead to trends of absenteeism, medical leave, early retirement and the situation will become worse if the workers make demands for compensation. Seeley (2009) [7] proved the importance of ergonomics through his finding on the cost of Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) and workers compensation that far exceed those for acute incidents such as burns, cuts and even fractures.

However, the level of ergonomics application and general awareness are low in many countries [8] including Malaysia according to Mustafa et al.’s finding (2009) [9]. Furthermore, no specific statistic on ergonomics risk such as MSD and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is shown by Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) [10] specifically to show the severity of ergonomics injury in Malaysia. Hence, the emphasis is not yet placed within the core of the legislation even though some researchers [6, 11, 12] mentioned that better health and well-being for employees are contribute towards improving productivity. It has been proven to play an important role in providing the safest and healthiest work environment possible for employees [10], and Hendrick’s aphorism, “good ergonomics is good economics” [11], ergonomics is still not a hot issue to be considered by many companies. According to Niu (2010) [13], existing national and international ergonomics standards and guidance have some deficiencies including narrow focus on some physical hazards, inadequate coverage of issues related to effective program implementation and inadequate attention given by document designers to document usability. This paper aims to study the extent of ergonomics issue in OSH legislation and the outcome is going to highlight possible areas for further research.

3-Prevention Strategies The elbows should be at a comfortable angle while "hanging" at the sides from

the shoulders. The shoulders should remain relaxed in a lowered position while typing.

Avoid leaning forward at your desk Maintain natural “s” curve of your spine Support lower back Keep feet supported on floor or use a foot rest Pay attention to the signals your body provides you. If your neck hurts at work,

examine your body position to try to figure out what might be causing the soreness. Are you holding your neck at an awkward angle while you type or talk on the phone?

If you are experiencing symptoms of CTDs…

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Tingling or numbness in the hands or fingers Pain in fingers, hands wrists, or even shooting up into the arms or forearms Loss of strength or coordination in the hands Numbness or discomfort in the

hands that wakes you up at night.... Position monitor at a comfortable distance Avoid glare Adjust VDT brightness and contrast Keep screen clear of dust Look up and away every few minutes or so!

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Case Study 1

Eddie works on an engine assembly line. In his job he has to use a handheld impact wrench to fit a temporary adapter to an engine. The assembly line makes up to 2400 engines a day and it takes approximately 3 seconds to tighten each adapter.

As well as the risk from using a vibrating tool, Eddie often had to adopt poor postures to reach some parts of the engine. He had to repeatedly stretch out his arm and constrain his posture while tightening the adapter. After some time on the job, Eddie found he was leaving work with shoulder and neck pain. One tea break, Eddie’s line manager saw him rubbing his neck and shoulder and recognised the pain could be due to the type of work Eddie was doing. The line manager told the company health and safety representative about what she had seen.

The company responded by making the following modifications:

They replaced the impact wrench with a smoother running device and suspended it to support the weight. As a result, very little vibration would be passed to the operator.

They modified the workplace layout and allowed workers better access to all sides of the engine, so they didn’t need to adopt poor working postures.

They implemented a job rotation scheme whereby the five workers on the line were moved around a number of different tasks. Some of these tasks still required the use of vibrating tools, but the overall exposure was halved.

As a result of the modifications there was

a reduction in vibration exposure;

no need to adopt poor and constrained postures;

reduced boredom and fatigue for Eddie’s team; and

improved productivity.

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Case study 2

Dominique is a receptionist in a large financial company. Much of her work involves using a telephone to take messages and redirect calls to appropriate departments. Dominique regularly uses a computer (display screen equipment or DSE) to make appointments, record messages and respond to e-mails.

After working at the front desk for eight months, Dominique found she was leaving work with an aching shoulder and neck, and with sore eyes and a headache. Dominique asked her manager for a risk assessment to identify possible problems with her working arrangements and to determine where improvements could be made.

The risk assessment identified the following areas for improvement:

Dominique would often hold the telephone between her shoulder and ear while talking on the phone and typing a message on the computer. She regularly adopted this awkward, static, strained posture during her working day.

Health and Safety Executive During the summer Dominique’s computer screen was difficult to read because of glare and reflections from light through the window. This meant she struggled to avoid making mistakes and would repeatedly adjust her posture to view the screen.

The assessment led to the introduction of simple, cost-effective measures to reduce the risks:

A hands-free telephone headset was provided, which helped to eliminate Dominique’s neck and shoulder problems.

An eye test to establish if Dominique had any problems with her vision.

With the help of her manager, Dominique rearranged her workstation so her screen was no longer facing the window, to remove the glare caused by daylight.

Dominique’s manager arranged for periodical DSE training sessions for all staff, so they were aware of the health problems associated with computer use and how to prevent them by adjusting their chairs, arranging their workstation appropriately, and taking regular breaks from keyboard work. Dominique was much happier in her work, her health problems diminished, and productivity was increased.

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Conclusion

Occupational hazards for workplace consist of a wide variety of possibilities, from the more obvious hazards of radiation and biologic safety issues to low-back pain and possible CTDs. It has been the intent of this article to briefly outline these possible hazards and to offer some information in a concise manner on how to avoid them in the clinical setting. Using time, distance, and appropriate shielding as well as standard or universal precautions will go a long way in reducing the more common safety concerns. Also, proper patient transfer techniques can help to reduce or eliminate low-back pain issues. CTDs are more difficult to prevent if an individual is doing the same activity during work day in and day out, but by knowing how to identify these disorders, an individual may be able to prevent them from becoming worse over time.

Future developments

Occupational health and safety has come a long way from its beginnings in the heavy industry sector. It now has an impact on every worker, in every work place, and those charged with managing health and safety are having more and more tasks added to their portfolio. The most significant responsibility is environmental protection. The skills required to manage occupational health and safety are compatible with environmental protection, which is why these responsibilities are so often bolted onto the workplace health and safety professional.

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References

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24-Shikdar, A. A., & Sawaqed, N. M. (2003). Worker productivity, occupational health and safety issues in selected industries. Computers and Industrial Engineering, 45, 563–572.25-Wilson, J. R., & Corlett, E. N. (1992). Evaluation of human work: A practical ergonomics methodology. Philadelphia, USA: Taylor and Francis.26-Noise Effect Handbook,US Environmental protection Agency.27-Nandi Subroto S,Dhatrak Sarang V.OCCUPATIONAL Induced Hearing loss,Nov.200828-Bovenzi,M,1998b Exposure response relationship in the hand arm vibration syndrome:An overview of current epidemiology reaseearch.International Archieves of occupational and Enviromnmental health,71(8),509-51929-Paper on whole body vibration (200),Ergotech Ergonomics consultants,(www.ergotech.co.za)30-Whole body vibration (200),Noise Net Organisation(www.noisenet.org)31-Effect of occupational stress in Industries,prof.(Dr) M.I.Khan ,Serajul Haque32-Factors Responsible for workrelated Muskuloskeeltel Disorders-A Review(Gaurav Raghav,Mohd Farooq and Abid Ali Khan )33-BLS,1997,occupational Injuries and Illnesses in 1996-2000 Bureau of labour statistics,US Department of labour ,Washington,DC.34-Application of Ergonomics to control Upper Limb work Related MSDs (M.I.Khan and Serajul Haque )35-Lucien Brouha M.D.D.Sc,1960 ,Physiology in Industry, pergramon press.36-http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/37-http://www.envisnioh.org/occupational-hazards.htm38-The WHO guidelines, www.rudios.org

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