Evaluation of the Ergonomics of Carpentry and Furniture-Making Enterprise at the Illoabuchi Cluster Sawmill/Wood Market in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Over the years, forestry-related professions have been consistently considered as one of the most hazardous occupations around the world. Awareness to address this issue through ergonomic improvement interventions is increasing, yet insufficient information is available about ergonomic conditions of Nigerian carpentry and furniture-making (CFM) enterprise. This study evaluated the ergonomics of CFM at the Illoabuchi cluster sawmill/wood market in Port Harcourt, Nigeria using qualitative and quantitative approaches. The carpenters/furniture makers (CFMs) were exclusively males 51.9% of them were within the age of 26 and 35 years with 72.2% of them being married. The height of tables is weakly positively correlated with the height of CFMs (r = 0.250, p < 0.026), implying that a vast number of the tables used were not anthropometrically matched. The occupational hazard outcomes frequently suffered by the CFMs included bruised/hands cut (34.4%), back pain (25.9%), nasal infection (25.9%), muscle pain (8.6%), and eyes infection (5.2%). These findings provide evidence by which the ergonomical target interventions to reduce future hazards and also to lessen the impacts of previous hazards on CFMs can be implemented.