Abstract:
Integrating ergonomics into the manual long handle hoe design will minimize work-related
musculoskeletal disorders while improving farm workers' health and safety, consequently improving
the performance. To what extent ergonomic design aspects have been incorporated into the existing
manual hoe types used by farmworkers in Sri Lanka for different purposes for different soil
conditions are unknown. This study used farmworkers as subjects to investigate the ergonomics of
five different existing hoe types under sandy soil conditions at Ampara district in Sri Lanka. It was
found that the hoe type B, which has a longer handle (123 cm), smaller blade size (width-21.4 cm
and length- 16.3 cm), less weight (1.8 kg) and blade to handle angle of 70°, is the most suitable
among all the hoe types tested for hoeing operations in sandy soil. The study also found that
farmworkers can discriminate between hoe types based on their suitability for the task. The study
suggests that further research works are needed to evaluate the existing hoe types to use in
different soils for different purposes that will help to improve the hoe type and farm workers' health
and performance
