Risk Assessment of Rubber Tapping A Case Study: Pa Phayom District, Phatthalung Province, Thailand

Abstract

This cross-sectional study investigated the risks of rubber tapping among rubber farmers in Pa Phayom District, Phatthalung Province, Thailand, utilizing the EART (Ergonomic Risk Assessment Tool for Rubber Tappers) and RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) approaches. Purposive sampling was utilized to randomly choose 154 rubber farmers, aged 20 to 60 to serve as the sample group. They met the inclusion requirements of being in excellent health, being able to read and write Thai fluently, not having a history of back discomfort or injuries, and having at least a year of experience tapping rubber. The results showed that the mean RTL value was 415, SD = 182, while the mean RTI value was 1.77, SD = 1.35, with Min = 0.31 and Max = 8.64. The RULA analysis gave scores ranging from 2 to 7 as acceptable risk to high risk, suggesting that rubber farmers should improve their working posture or reduce factors that affect risk to ensure better health outcomes. It was discovered that the EART and RULA can be used as an assessment method to identify ergonomic risk problems in rubber tapping operation. It was suggested that the rubber tapping operation needs to be improved, re-evaluated, and implemented immediately.