การพัฒนาและประเมินประสิทธิผลของอุปกรณ์ช่วยเด็ดลำไยเพื่อลดความเสี่ยงทางการยศาสตร์: กรณีศึกษาเกษตรกรสวนลำไย อำเภอพญาเม็งราย จังหวัดเชียงราย

Chaloemphan  Kaewkanta; Nicharuch  Panjaphothiwat; Siriwan  Kantisin

Authors

Chaloemphan Kaewkanta Lecturer, Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Nicharuch Panjaphothiwat Lecturer, Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Siriwan Kantisin Lecturer, Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Keywords:

Ergonomic risk level assessment, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Longan harvesting equipment

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) investigate musculoskeletal symptoms 2) assess ergonomic risks among longan harvesters, and 3) evaluate the effectiveness of a developed ergonomic longan-picking device. This quasi-experimental research was conducted among 38 longan farmers in Mae Tam subdistrict, Phaya Mengrai district, Chiang Rai province. Research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, a body discomfort form, a musculoskeletal symptom assessment questionnaire, an ergonomically designed longan-picking device, and an ergonomic risk assessment using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with Paired t-test
The results showed that, the most frequently reported musculoskeletal symptoms among farmers (left, right) were shoulder (89.5%, 84.2%), followed by lower back (78.9%, 78.9%), knee (76.3, 78.9%), and wrist (76.3%, 76.3%). The ergonomic risk assessment using Rapid Upper Limb
Assessment (RULA) indicated that most farmers were at a medium-risk level (28.9%) and a high-risk level (71.1%). The most critical high-risk postures identified were bending to pick and plucking longans. After using the developed ergonomic longan-picking device, ergonomic risk levels decreased to a moderate level, with a statistically significant difference (p-value < 0.001). The findings demonstrate that the ergonomic longan-picking device was effective in significantly reducing ergonomic risk among longan harvesters.

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