Investigation of productivity enhancement and biomechanical risks in greenhouse crops

摘要: Labour is the single largest cost contributor and main limiting factor to development of agricultural industry. Manual labour remains a major, essential for greenhouse-grown specialty crops. Furthermore, musculoskeletal injuries are prevalent during manual work processes performed in environments. This study aims improve efficiency productivity identify tasks that can cause injury. Working procedures were characterised using work-study method, environmental conditions recorded biomechanical analysis inspected task was conducted. An innovative measuring system developed enables synchronisation manufacturing, biomechanics, workload data. The focused on trellising harvesting stages pepper tomato greenhouses two farms located southwest Israel. We further conducted several experiments which we changed working method assessed effect productivity. Another experiment test three different angles (30°, 60°, 90°) yield tomato. results revealed tomato, comparison current methods, picking 4 fruit per cycle will increase production rate by 17%, leaf removal from area 14.4%—up 40.2%—and best angle with respect be 30°. Analysis risk showed maximum weight lifted boxes should not exceed 12 kg, when growing low ground, workers exposed medium high