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Heart rates and energy costs of female tea-leaf piuckers in India were studied while at rest, during walking (with and without basket loads) and during plucking. Walking with loaded baskets was the most strenuous job. The ‘fast’ category of pluckers had higher cardiac and gross energy costs than the ‘slow’ category. When the energy costs were linked to productivity, the ‘fast’ pluckers had lower costs per unit of productivity. The thermal load was found to be high, and the effectiveness of protective equipment such as indigenous hats has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A comprehensive equation for the evaluation of a maximum load limit for manual load lifting has been developed for the first time for Indian adult female workers, based on a physiological criterion due to the limitation of applicability of the NIOSH (1991) equation. Ten adult female workers, who had been engaged in building construction activities for at least 7 years participated in this study. The cut-off value was selected as the working heart rate corresponding to the 33% level of maximum aerobic power (i.e. V'O2 max.) of this population, which was equivalent to a heart rate of 101.6 beats x min(-1). An equation was developed based on the effects of the following three lifting parameters on working heart rate: vertical height (knee, waist, shoulder and maximum reach height), lifting frequency (1, 4, 7 and 14 lifts x min(-1)), and load weight (5, 10 and 15 kg). The variations of the specific lifting parameter values were selected from field observations. From this equation, the maximum load limit was calculated as 15.4 kg and the workers give this a psychophysical rating as in the moderate to heavy category.

Kindergartens of age group 3-5 years, a distinct and small subgroup of Indian schoolchildren, need special emphasis on human factors. The paper presents the results of an anthropometric survey conducted on schoolchildren. These data, previously lacking in India, can be of benefit for the designers of kindergartens. A set of 81 different body dimensions was taken from a sample of 198 children of age group 3-4 years and 4.1-5 years. Simple anthropometric techniques were used to collect the data. Statistical analyses of the data have been presented in a tabular form for designers as well as for non-technical users. It is emphasized that such data have to be developed at the national level, including every ethnic group, or on a regional basis. Designers, manufacturers and importers of goods should have access to these data.

Anthropometric dimensions of Indian housewives have been measured from the viewpoint of architectural and product design ergonomics. Altogether, 79 different body dimensions were measured on 147 urban housewives of age range varying between 21 to 56 years. The average stature and weight of Indian housewives as observed in this study were 153.2 cm (SD +/- 5.7) and 55.1 kg (SD +/- 9.7), respectively. Average values along with 5th and 95th percentile values for all measurements have been determined. Values were compared with other Indian studies. A correlation between the body height, weight, and other measurements were obtained with the help of a PDP 11/23 microcomputer. Based on the existing data ratio scale relationships between the body height and other measurements of Indian women were determined. An anthropometric data, pack is presently lacking; therefore, the findings herein can be used while determining household workplace layouts, evaluating area specifications, determining work-surface heights, clearances, reach, etc. A similar study on a larger population size for Indian women has been suggested for establishing national standards.

This paper describes a new method for the categorisation of female tea-leaf pluckers on the basis of quantity and quality of production, skill and efficiency. Subjects participating in a study on the ergonomics of tea-leaf plucking operations were so categorised, and the results have been compared with the existing groupings followed by the Tea-estate authorities. Such a method could facilitate predictive selection of pluckers, selection for training, and formation of groups in future studies.

Nine males and 2 females from the Shankhabanik Community in Bishnupur, provisionally diagnosed as incomplete rod achromats by Bose, Joardar and Sukul in 1968, with 2 new similar males, were tested more fully with six colour vision tests. All had photophobia, nystagmus of fixation, extremely low visual acuity and extreme loss of colour sense with shortened red spectrum. 40 other males and 24 females, relatives of the defectives, were also tested for comparison. The provisional diagnosis was confirmed, and the hypothesis of autosomal inheritance seemed most probably true. Various details about the relatives emerged.