Assessment and alleviation of occupational health hazards of farm women involved in animal husbandry of Amreli of Gujarat state

Pages: 125-129
Bhawana Asnani (Polytechnic in Home Science, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, Gujarat)

A study was carried out in selected areas of Amreli Taluka in Gujarat, India to find out the most drudgery prone tasks in animal husbandry and health hazards associated with it. It was elicited that most drudgery prone activities experienced by farm women in animal husbandry were cleaning of cattle shed, cutting and collecting fodder from field, feeding of animals, cleaning of cattle, milking, chaffing fodder and preparing dung cakes to use as fuel. Most of the health hazards like zoonotic infections, fatigue, injuries/ infections in hand or palms, body ache and skin problems were experienced by farm women while carrying out different activities of Animal Husbandry. Since all these operations were done manually, the efficiency of women was low along with considerable physical and mental fatigue and health problems. A couple of low cost, easy to operate tools and technologies were promoted among farm women which were rake, shovel, wheel barrow, sickle, milking stool and chaff cutter. The physiological cost of work on ergonomic parameters indicated that physiological cost of work in terms of heart rate and energy expenditure did not exceed acceptable limits with use of improved technologies while increased output considerably. The MSD’s also reduced in intensity. Thus, promotion of improved technologies in Animal Husbandry reduced drudgery and improved health, efficiency and safety of the women workers.