**5. Conclusions**

*Occupational Wellbeing*

soybean crop.

Tarai and hill.

was almost nil. After being trained, the women showed a 74.6% increase in level of knowledge about drudgery reduction. Saving time thus also lead them to make time to resting and take care of households. [46] reported hexagonal tubular maize Sheller saves almost half the time and increases working efficiency 30.25 per cent and reduces 70.60 per cent drudgery of farm women over traditional practice. It is also seen that maize sheller saves time by 23.78% as compared to traditional practice. [47] another study on hexagonal tubular maize sheller increased working efficiency 79.24 per cent and reduces 87.94 per cent drudgery of farm women over traditional practice. The cleaning efficiency was also increased 6.6% while using hexagonal tubular maize sheller. [25] revealed that drudgery was reduced 70. 21% when twin wheel hoe is used in weeding, it also reduce physiological cost, 21.42%, saves time 71.20% compared to traditional practice (Khurpi) while weeding in

Physiological cost of operation is influenced by the health of operators, nutrition, basal rate and energy expended while working which will be indirectly measured by measuring oxygen consumption and pulse. Generally, person's subjective experience of a specific workload or rate of labor is more closely associated with pulse than to oxygen consumption during the performance of labor. Therefore, several research workers [48–52] have used pulse for assessment of physiological workload of the workers. [22] Indicated that farm women perceived significantly lowered exertion while performing the chosen farm activities with the improved tools compared to the utilization of traditional tools. According to this study [53], the impact of drudgery on women is that many respondents suffer from heavy physical strain and physical stress due to work overload i.e. 88.34 percent and 98.34 percent in Tarai and hill area. In addition, fewer respondents have the problem related with incidence of miscarriage i.e. 10 and 12 percent in

**4.6 Perception of Workload of agriculture activities**

**4.7 Perceived health hazards problems faced by farm workers**

Occupational hazard constitutes a serious source of morbidity and mortality among all workers [54]. The occupational hazard could also be mainly thanks to two reasons i.e. the utilization of harmful chemicals in farming and biomechanical and posture demand of their health [55]. [56] also observed that farm women worked constantly in awkward postures during different agricultural activities then they suffered from discomfort in various parts of their body. [57] reported for occupational hazard among farm women were majority 65.00 per cent reported injury while harvesting followed by 33.33 per cent while weeding and 25.00 per cent while cleaning land. Joint problem was reported by 89.16 per cent farm women in wrist, 88.33 per cent in knee, back bone and shoulder, 75.00 per cent in neck and 73.33 per cent in elbow. Majority of farm women reported physical problems like body pain (95.83 per cent), tiredness (92.50 per cent) and physical stress (90.83 per cent) while transplanting. Farm women also reported impact of disease of the skin during farm activities i.e. heat stroke (84.16 per cent), heat prostration (68.33 per cent) and mycosis and allergy (23.33 per cent). [46] reported hexagonal tubular maize sheller shows easy in operation no muscle strain, low cardiac cost, less energy expenditure while using traditional practice. [25] revealed that Twin wheel hoe was user friendly tool can help to reduce the environmental an occupational health hazards of farm activity and also improved the work efficiency of workers during

**60**

agriculture activities.

In this chapter, we shed light on farm women engaged in more time on postharvest activities than those pre-harvest activities. Environmental and occupational health issues among agricultural workers expressed high levels of concern about working in warm weather, agricultural injuries, pesticides, awkward posture and drudgery prone activities. Improved drudgery agriculture tools saves time and money spend on labour, minimizes body muscular problems and it is very easy to handle. The probabilities of the injury are eliminated and it is safe to use thanks to its better construction and low cost effecting harvesting tool. This advanced technology might be adopted by the farm women. We still have an extended thanks to make a secure agricultural environment more efforts are needed for getting to availability of eco-friendly tools to finish users and thus, more emphasis on focusing ergonomists, agriculture experts, tool designers and organizations concerned with occupational health hazards.
