Ergonomic risk assessment and safety enhancements toward sustainable rice milling operation
Keywords:
health, ergonomics, occupational safety, rice milling industry, workers' efficiency and productivityAbstract
This study investigates the physical, cognitive, and environmental demands in the rice milling industry in Occidental Mindoro. The assessment involved a sample of 30 employees across various roles, including classifiers, dispatchers, baggers, bran porters, porters, and machine operators. The study incorporated an integration of ergonomic tools, including the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ), Ovako Working-Posture Analysis System (OWAS), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and NIOSH Lifting Equation for physical-based analysis. CarMenQ and the NASA-TLX, to assess the workload and cognitive strain. The results indicated that bran porters and porters are often exposed to risks of MSDs due to the nature of work. On the other hand, baggers, dispatchers, and rice mill machine operators experienced the highest levels of cognitive workload. Findings also indicated that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are significant contributors to absenteeism, with 86.76% of workers reporting such conditions. Environmental factors, such as excessive noise and humidity, have a further impact on the challenges faced by workers in the bagging and operating areas. The study focused on the implementation of systematic job rotation and the redesign of job descriptions, and recommended ergonomic measures to improve the workplace environment, with the aim to reduce the absenteeism of employees and enhanced the overall worker well-being and operational efficiency in the rice milling sector.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Jazel Monterola, John Mark C. Uminga, Jenel C. Ituriaga (Author)
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