Ergonomics design and evaluation of the stitching workstation for the hand-crafted Kolhapuri footwear using a digital human modeling approach

Abstract

ABSTRACTKolhapuri footwear manufacturing is craft-based profession. Female workers are involved in stitching and preparation of various parts during Kolhapuri footwear manufacturing. This study focuses on the design of footwear stitching station with objectives of reducing postural stress which improve workers’ productivity’. From the findings, it was clear that postural load among female workers was one of the critical aspects while working in the stitching of the footwear. In this study, RULA analysis was used to investigate postural load. To overcome the identified postural load which was maybe the reason for the development of reported WRMSD (Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder), new design was proposed. The new design was assessed for vision, thigh clearances and RULA scores using virtual Digital Human modeling. The assessment of new design reveals that vision, thigh clearances and RULA score are good at certain adjustment. The result of new workstation satisfies ergonomics aspects and user requirement of artisans.