Abstract

BADILLO-GOMEZ, Maritza Miroslava; VACA-GARCIA, Claudia Carolina; SANCHEZ-MORALES, María Eugenia  and  ACOSTA-LUA, Cuauhtémoc. Analysis of the gait cycle and fatigue during the manipulation of agricultural backpack sprayers. Ing. invest. y tecnol. [online]. 2021, vol.22, n.2.  Epub July 30, 2021. ISSN 2594-0732.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2021.22.2.012.

The agricultural sector’s industrialization has led to an increase in the use of chemicals, especially on agricultural lands, for its benefits in increasing productivity and managing plant diseases. The activity that most uses pesticides is agriculture, consuming 85 % of world’s production, therefore the evolution of agricultural machinery is vital to satisfy market requirements, however, the numerous side effects caused by high occupational exposure to ineffective equipment imply a high risk in the health of the worker, they involve a worker’s high risk health, which is exposed mainly to elements such as forced postures and the manual handling of heavy machinery for long periods of time. In this study was analyzed the effect of the heavy load handling on angular movements of the gait cycle and fatigue, focused on the use of three types of agricultural sprayers in different male students. 75 min gait tests were carried out on natural grass terrain with different weight loads and during a normal walk without extra weight. Goniometers were placed on both knees of the analyzed subjects to obtain the speed and angle of the walk. Fatigue was calculated to assess the impact of load handling on the go. The results showed that during the analysis of the gait with and without weight, there is a noticeable difference in the curl that the phase of the support of the walk creates, due to the weight that the agricultural sprayer generates on the back and knees. This is due to the change of posture, forced by the manipulation of heavy loads on the back. The results are emphasized when the analyzed subject is overweight and does not practice any type of sport.

Keywords : Agricultural sector; occupational exposure; agricultural sprayers; occupational fatigue.

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