Abstract
Hoe is an important hand tool used by the farmers across India for land preparation and digging work. Continuous and repeated use of hoe in awkward posture results in severe work-related musculoskeletal distress. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of hoe handle length and angle on arm and shoulder muscle engagement and subject preference. For this purpose, two modified hoes with different handle lengths were utilized to perform land preparation work and their muscle engagement was compared with a traditional land preparation activity. Ten volunteers participated in this experimental study and their muscle activities on biceps brachii (bilateral) and trapezius muscle (bilateral) during continuous land preparation process were recorded using surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors. Subjective discomfort rating was carried out using Borg’s CR-10 scale. Results revealed that Model 1 with medium handle length had reduced the muscle activation on arm and shoulders. Subjective preference results revealed that biceps brachii muscles followed by trapezius left muscle had high rate of discomfort during the land preparation work.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
I. Dianat, N. Bakhtiari, M. Nedaei, D. Afshari, Int. J. Hum. Factors Ergon. 6, (2019).
S. Shankar, N. Kumar, C.P.S. Hariharan, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 84, 103170 (2021)
S. Shankar, R. Naveen Kumar, P. Mohankumar, S. Jayaraman, Work 58, 163 (2017)
E. Gideon Asuquo, S. M. Tighe, C. Bradshaw, Int. J. Nurs. Stud. Adv. 3, (2021).
S. Anwer, H. Li, M. F. Antwi-Afari, A. Y. L. Wong, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 83, (2021).
L. Benos, D. Tsaopoulos, D. Bochtis, Appl. Sci. 10, (2020).
F. A. Fathallah, Appl. Ergon. 41, (2010).
S. Niu, Appl. Ergon. 41, (2010).
L. Chapman and J. Meyers, Agric. Saf. Heal. Conf. Proc. (2001).
D. Mohan and R. Patel, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 10, (1992).
T. Kaewdok, S. Sirisawasd, S. Taptagaporn, J. Agromedicine 26, (2021).
R. K. K. Wibowo and P. Soni, Agric. Agric. Sci. Procedia 9, (2016).
B. Das, Int. J. Inj. Contr. Saf. Promot. 21, (2014).
C. L. Kolstrup, J. Occup. Med. Toxicol. 7, (2012).
N. B. Fethke, M. C. Schall, H. Chen, C. A. Branch, L. A. Merlino, J. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 17, (2020).
L. P. Gite and B. G. Yadav, Appl. Ergon. 20, (1989).
P. Chandra, T. Bhattacharjee, B. Bhowmick, J. Agribus. Dev. Emerg. Econ. 8, (2018).
R. Jain, M. K. Sain, M. L. Meena, G. S. Dangayach, A. K. Bhardwaj, Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 24, (2018).
L. Hanson, L. Sperling, G. Gard, S. Ipsen, C. Olivares Vergara, Appl. Ergon. 40, (2009).
Agric. Eng. Int. CIGR J. 12, (2010).
B. Sarkar, S. Icar, U. Kumar, K. Sarma, Res. J. Agric. Sci. 6, 215 (2015)
M. S. Parvez and M. M. Shahriar, J. Healthc. Eng. 2018, (2018).
Vijay Kamate and Dr. S. Mohan Kumar, Int. J. Eng. Res. V4, 0 (2015).
R. N. Sen and S. Sahu, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 17, (1996).
S. S. Kharb, R. M. Belokar, S. Kant, M. Sharma, J. Inst. Eng. Ser. A 102, (2021).
S. Rok Chang, S. Park, A. Freivalds, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 24, (1999).
D. Kee and R. Haslam, in Work (2019).
R. Jain, M. L. Meena, G. S. Dangayach, A. K. Bhardwaj, Arch. Environ. Occup. Heal. 73, (2018).
A. A. Ramahi and F. A. Fathallah, in Proc. Hum. Factors Ergon. Soc. (2006).
Bodyspace: Anthropometry, Ergonomics And The Design Of Work (2017).
C. E. Boettcher, K. A. Ginn, I. Cathers, J. Orthop. Res. 26, (2008).
N. Bakhtiari, I. Dianat, M. Nedaei, Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 27, (2021).
N. Burhan, M. A. Kasno, R. Ghazali, M. R. Said, S. S. Abdullah, M. H. Jali, J. Healthc. Eng. 2017, (2017).
G. G. Zanca, A. B. Oliveira, W. Ansanello, F. C. Barros, S. M. Mattiello, J. Electromyogr. Kinesiol. 24, (2014).
S. Subramanian, N. Raju, P. Srinivasan, K. Jeganathan, S. Jayaraman, Int. J. Hum. Factors Ergon. 5, 277 (2018)
A. Shariat, J. A. Cleland, M. Danaee, R. Alizadeh, B. Sangelaji, M. Kargarfard, N. N. Ansari, F. H. Sepehr, S. B. M. Tamrin, Work 60, (2018).
R. T. Vyavahare and S. P. Kallurkar, Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 53, (2016).
S. Shankar, R. Naveenkumar, J. Karthick, Int. J. Bus. Innov. Res. 18, 392 (2019)
S. Subramaniam, N. Raju, K. Jeganathan, M. Periyasamy, Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 24, 278 (2018)
K. Jørgensen, N. Fallentin, C. Krogh-Lund, B. Jensen, Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. Occup. Physiol. 57, (1988).
Y. Shimomura, K. Minowa, H. Kawahira, and T. Katsuura, Ergonomics 59, (2016).
L. Vanderwal, R. Rautiainen, R. Kuye, C. Peek-Asa, T. Cook, M. Ramirez, K. Culp, K. Donham, Appl. Ergon. 42, (2011).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Funding
Not Applicable.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, R.N., Saravanan, A., Shankar, S. et al. Investigating the Impact of the Hoe handle Length and Angle on the Shoulder and Arm Muscle Activity during Manual Farming Activities. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. A 102, 1053–1060 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-021-00572-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-021-00572-7