Postural Stress Assessment of Male and Female Dairy Workers of Higher and Lower Age Group Preparing Food for Cattle

Osteoarthritis of hip and upper limb complaints and hand arm syndrome are the occupational disease and hazards associated with work related risks factors prevalent in dairy farming activities. Age and sex of dairy workers are contributing factors in developing occupational diseases. Further, work force of dairy sector in India is heterogeneous ie females and males of various age group are engaged in it. In present study, an attempts has been made to find out postural stress among males and females oflower and higher age groups during preparing food for cattle and to find out impact of age and sex on postural stress caused during preparing food for cattle. Postural stress was measured by assessing time spent in different body postures, frequency of adopting various body postures and angle of body deviations in lumber regionof dairy workers preparing food for cattle. Findings of study suggested thatbending posture was adopted by dairy workers of all four groups for the longer period along with the highest frequency of adopting various standing positions in preparing food for cattle. Lifting of bundle of fodder is the work posture which requires maximum angular deviation of spine from the normal position. Further, time spent in different posture, frequency of adopting different posture and angle ofbody deviation in lumber region were maximum in females of the higher age group and minimum in males of lower age group.