Ergonomic assessment of handgrip strength and workload among farm women engaged in bundling of leafy vegetables in Telangana

Abstract

The manual bundling of coriander and other leafy vegetables is a labor-intensive activity performed predominantly by farm women in rural agricultural systems. This study aims to evaluate the handgrip strength and heart rate variations of 50 farm women engaged in this task in Tholkatta village, Rangareddy district, Telangana. Anthropometric variables, like height, weight, BMI, hand length and hand breadth were measured to assess their relationship with grip strength and physical performance. The study highlighted that 76 per cent of the respondents bundled over 600 coriander bunches per day, a significant workload that poses ergonomic challenges. Handgrip strength was measured using a digital handgrip dynamometer which revealed an average decrease of 7.09 per cent in the dominant hand and 10 per cent in the non-dominant hand post-activity, reflecting task-induced fatigue. Resting and maximum heart rates were recorded to monitor cardiovascular stress levels during work, with average values of 64.15 beats per minute and 126.76 beats per minute, respectively. The findings indicate a strong correlation between hand length, breadth and grip strength, particularly in the non-dominant hand, while BMI showed a weaker association. These results emphasized the impact of physical workload, repetitive tasks and inadequate ergonomic conditions on the health and productivity of farm women.