Occupational health hazards & efficacy of protective masks in threshing operation

The study was conducted on 20 farm workers to identify the occupational health hazards in threshing operation. Four different protective masks were given and tested on various parameters. Respondents reported respiratory health problems which were mainly due to heat and organic dust in the surroundings. All respondents reported irritation in eyes and throat followed by nose (85.0%) and ears (75.0%). Musculo-skeletal problems were reported showing severe to very severe discomfort in lower arms (m.s. = 3.8), upper back (3.6) and upper arms (3.4). Overall discomfort score (ODS) was 7.6 depicting high level of discomfort. Peak expiratory flow rate was reduced by 6.6 % depicting reduced capacity of lungs after day long work in polluted environment. Hood mask was highly acceptable as it showed lowest breathing resistance. Leakage of dust from sides and rate of sweating was medium. Hence, use of hood mask would be helpful to achieve the ergonomics objective of reducing health problems and improving performance.