Study on Physiological Work Load of Farmers Engaged in Rush Cultivating and Weaving Process / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

“Tatami mat” made of rush is one of the most important farm products in Japan. The process, consisted of planting (4 week in November-December), cultivating (January-June), harvesting (3-4 week in June-July) and weaving (8-10 months in August-April), . is domestic labor and carried at all seasons. From the health point of view rush labor has brought about several problems, referred to hard physical work, heat stress and dust inhalation etc.<BR>To determine the work load on the rush farmers, case studies on work and environmental conditions of the process were conducted, and the mesures of the health control for the farmers were scrutinized. In the present report, seasonal variation in the framework of daily life was analyzed. In harvesting process, the average time spent a day for gaining income (farm work) was estimated to be 806±43min. for males (N=9), 776±56min. for females (N=8), being longer than other process such as planting, 742±75min. for males (N=3), 661±20min. for females (N=3) and weaving, 589±68min. for males (N=3), 673±91min. for females (N=3). The working time for weaving was seemed to have a tendency of being longer for females than males. The average time for houshold duties was estimated to be 108-139min. longer for females at all seasons.<BR>On the contrary, the average time for physical reproduction and sleeping hours was 74-6 min. It was longer for males than females. The time spent for social, and cultural activities was equal in both sexes, males and females.