Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ergonomic Intervention on the Occupational Stress of Selective Railway Workshop’s Fitters

  • Original Contribution
  • Published:
Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series C Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In India, progressively rigorous health, safety and environmental regulation, together with rapid technological advances have caused job demands of man machine interface. Any deviations in implementing rules and regulations leave many workers at severe risks. In different railway workshops where periodic overhauling (POH) of different coaches and locomotives are obtained, the exhaustive nature of work results strain within the workers. Unfortunately physiological work studies on railway workers are highly inadequate in India. The present study is aimed to relate the ergonomic intervention on the occupational stress of railway workshop’s fitters. Working heart rate (WHR) is measured continuously during their work schedule by portable heart rate monitor. Recovery heart rate and other essential occupational stress indexes are also measured along with total working environmental details. The working heart rate (WHR) of the subjects are found as 138 beats/min (bpm) and 121 bpm for the junior (age < 40 years) and senior fitters (age > 40 years), respectively. Net cardiac cost (NCC) and relative cardiac cost (RCC) values exhibit their range in a non-safe zone. No recovery in resting heart rate denotes the hostile environmental effect on the worker’s physiology. The effective temperature (ET) and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of work site cross the recommended value. Clear evidences of a direct relationship between occupational hazard and fatigue is found and it can be considered as an environmental stresses which, in conjunction with other environmental and host factors induced a chronic fatigue that lead to non-specific health disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jagadish, A. Ray, Multi-objective optimization of green EDM: An integrated theory, Springer Issue (India), Series C. Journal of The Institution of Engineers 96(1), 41–47 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  2. N.C. Dey, G.D. Sharma, A critical study on the underground environment of coal mines in India–an Ergonomic Approach, Springer Issue. Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India), Series D 94(1), 1–6 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. N.C. Dey, S. Pal, A look into miners health in prevailing ambience of underground coal mine environment Springer Issue. Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India), Series D 93(1), 37–42 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. American Heart Association Committee of exercise; Exercise, testing and training of apparently healthy individual: A Handbook of Physician (AHA, New York, 1972)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ramanathan et al, Energy cost of different muscular exercise tests performed by the Indian subjects, Indian Journal Occupational Health, 10, pp 253–61, 1967

  6. D. DuBois, E.F. DuBois, Clinical Calorimeter X, A formula to estimate the approximate surface area if height and weight be known. Archives of Internal Medicine. 17, 863 (1916)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. A.N. Naidu, N.P. Rao, Body mass index; A measure of the nutritional status in Indian populations. European journal of clinical nutrition 48(Supp 1), 131–140 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  8. C.P. Yaglogou, D. Minard, Control of the heat casualties at military centers. AMA Archives of Industrial Health 16, 302–310 (1957)

    Google Scholar 

  9. P.O. Astrand, K. Rodhal, Textbook of Work Physiology (McGraw-Hill Publication, New York, 1986)

    Google Scholar 

  10. A. Chamoux, A.M. Borel, P. Catilina, for the standardization of a resting heart rate: heart rate nightly rest. Implications in evaluating the workload, Archives of occupational diseases occupational medicine and social security 46(4), 241–250 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  11. B. Lablache-Combier, F.X. Ley, Using the continuous electrocardiographic recording of hot mine workings. Archives of occupational diseases occupational medicine and social security 45(5), 323–332 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  12. G. C. Mookherjee, R. N. Sharma, A report on environment ‘Comfort Zone’ Journal of Science and Industrial Research, vol. 6, pp. 283–287, 1953

  13. L. Brouha, Evaluation of the physiological requirements of jobs, Physiology in industry: evaluation of industrial stress by the physiological reaction of the workers. London, UK; Pergamon Press, pp. 82–108, 1960

  14. TLVs, Threshold Limit Values for chemical substances and physical agents in the work room environment with intended changes (for 1981), Cincinnati, OH, USA (ACGIH), 1981

  15. WHO, Health factors in working under conditions of heat stress, Geneva 412: WHO Tech. Rep. Series, 1969

Download references

Acknowledgement

Authors are thankful to the Chief of corresponding railway workshops along with Safety Officers, Production supervisors and the workers of railway workshop for their kind co-operation and cordial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eastern Railway Workshop, Kanchrapara, Uttar 24 Parganas, 743145, West Bengal, India

    Partha Mukhopadhyay

  2. Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, P.O. Botanic Garden, Howrah, 711103, West Bengal, India

    Netai Chandra Dey

Authors
  1. Partha Mukhopadhyay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Netai Chandra Dey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Partha Mukhopadhyay.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mukhopadhyay, P., Dey, N.C. Ergonomic Intervention on the Occupational Stress of Selective Railway Workshop’s Fitters. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. C 100, 59–64 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40032-017-0416-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40032-017-0416-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation