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Background: Cashew nut shelling is characterised by awkward working posture, repetitive hand/wrist motions, as well as long hours of standing work. This may lead to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of MSDs and related risk factors among female cashew nut shelling workers (CNSWs) in Indian cashew factories. Methods: Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire from 102 female CNSWs. Nine different body parts were evaluated using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Severity of pain in these body parts was also assessed using 5-point pain rating scale. Current working postures of these female CNSWs were examined using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method. Results: Prevalence of MSDs reported by the female CNSWs was high (84.3%). Most commonly affected body parts were the knees (63.7%), lower back (62.7%), shoulders (58.8%) and hands/wrists (50.0%). The mean pain severities of female CNSWs who had knees, lower back, shoulders, and hands/wrists complaints were moderate to high (i.e., 3–4 on 5-point scale). The REBA working posture evaluation indicated that level of exposure to musculoskeletal risk was moderate to high (at action levels 2 and 3), which indicates necessary investigation and change in current working postures of female CNSWs in order to avoid further risk. Conclusion: The present study has shown that the female CNSWs in Indian cashew factories are at a risk of MSDs. Future studies, including direct exposure ergonomics assessment methods are strongly suggested.

During recent decades, due to demand for customer-oriented product design, designers and manufacturers have been more attentive to define customer requirements during initial stage of design process. As such, importance of integrating ergonomics, particularly for capturing customer requirements, has become an essential activity. The literature provides evidence of numerous studies focusing on various design methodologies that are helpful for incorporating customer requirements at initial design stage. However, existence of multiple design methodologies makes it difficult for designers to choose one over the other. Further, ambiguity among designers while selecting any one of these methodologies may lead to an unnecessary increase in lead time for product design process. Therefore, in order to address this specific issue, a comparative review study across design methodologies with an objective to integrate ergonomics requirements has been conducted and reported here. The focus of the study is on integrating ergonomics requirements in design in initial design stages, specifically to include conceptual design, embodiment design, and detailed design. This paper reports a critical analysis of the applicability of these methodologies. The outcome of the study would be beneficial for designers (with an intention to contribute toward ergonomic led innovation) to choose design methodologies judiciously and importance of customer requirements capturing at the initial stage of the design process.

Cashew-nut shelling is an important operation in cashew industries in India. The work of Cashew-Nut Shelling Workers (CNSWs) is characterized by repetitive movements, prolonged standing, and awkward working posture. However, CNSWs are understudied worker population with respect to musculoskeletal health and risk factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 CNSWs in cashew industries across three states of India. The objectives of the study are to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MS) disorders and associated risk factors among CNSWs in cashew industries in India. The data were collected using a questionnaire via the standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and by direct observations of working posture (Rapid Entire Body Assessment [REBA] method) to determine ergonomic risks. The highest prevalence of MS disorders was mainly found in knees (56.0%), lower back (53.3%), shoulders (48.0%), and hands/wrists (47.3%). The REBA grand score (4–7) indicated that most CNSWs’ postures were at medium risk level, necessitating further investigation and changes to their working habits and workstations to decrease the level of risk. In addition, the results of multivariate logistic regression models revealed that work-related factors including work experience (>5 years) and working posture, were significantly associated with MS disorders in different body regions. Individual factors including gender (being female), age, and educational level, were also associated with the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints. These study results indicate the prevalence of MS disorders and emphasize the need for ergonomic design interventions for the prevention of MS disorders among these working populations.

This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), ergonomic risk levels, and associated risk factors (personal and work-related) with WMSDs among 290 cashew workers in small-scale cashew processing units of Eastern India. The data were collected through a questionnaire [including Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ)] and direct observation of work posture using rapid entire body assessment (REBA) method. Results showed that 70.3% of cashew workers reported WMSDs during the past 12 months, with shoulders (52.4%), lower back (51.4%), and hands/wrists (43.4%) regions being the highest. Work-related factors, including work experience, daily working time, work fatigue, job stress, and personal factors (gender, age, material status, educational level, and type of work), were independently associated with WMSDs. Further, REBA final score (8-10) indicated that cashew workers' postures were at a high-risk level. Finally, it is concluded that WMSDs among cashew workers are a significant problem, which needs ergonomic work improvements.