Occupational Health Problems Among Female Sewing Machine Operators

Abstract

A vast majority of women working in textile and apparel industries serve as sewing machine operators. Sitting in a fixed
position constantly in view of the sight requirements at the machine, leads to a static burden that threatens the health of the
worker. The present study was formulated to explore the work profile of female sewing machine operators and their
resultant health problems. The present study was conducted with 80 female sewing machine operators who were
performing sewing activity from last 4 years in Hisar city of Haryana state. A pre tested and well planned questionnaire
was used to along with interview schedule to collect the responses of the respondents. The results of the study revealed that
the mean working years of the respondents were 11.91 where the mean working hours were 5.74. About 91.25 per cent
respondents did not have rest during the work. Among the physiological problem, lower back pain (72.50%) and body
ache (52.50%), in symptomatic problems, muscle stiffness (50%), and joint stiffness (45%) and in psychological
problems, low motivation (33.75%) and frequent bad mood (16.25%) were found to be the most due to sewing activity. A
significant difference was found between health problems and working years, working hours and age of the respondents.