Ergonomic design and performance evaluation of a tea (Camellia sinensis) plucking basket for minimising musculoskeletal disorders

Tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze] plucking operation is predominantly conducted by female workers, who perform repetitive motions in constrained postures, leading to discomfort and reduced productivity. An ergonomic tea plucking basket was designed during 2022–23. It was designed to reduce risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), as it is a common issue among tea plucking workers due to various limitations of traditional bamboo baskets. Theoretical design of basket was developed based on a survey of tea plucking workers aged 25–40 years, who had been actively involved in tea plucking for past five years. A CAD model was subsequently created using SolidWorks, followed by fabrication of the basket. Tea plucking workers were selected from various tea gardens in Assam to assess newly developed improved ergonomic tea plucking basket. Assessment involved subjective feedback, energy expenditure measurements, discomfort ratings, monitoring of physiological parameters, productivity evaluations, and assessments of overall user comfort. Ergonomic assessment tools such as Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, and Quick Exposure Check (QEC) were used for evaluation purposes. This study observed a significant reduction in discomfort scores for neck, upper back, and lower back by 1.65, 0.85, and 0.35 points, respectively. Physiological improvements were observed, with a lowered heart rate from 100 bpm to 95 bpm and a decreased oxygen consumption rate of 13.04%. Energy expenditure rate was also reduced by 12.36%, thus, the developed basket demonstrated enhanced consistency in performance across users.