Improvising the Cutting Department and the Thread Sucking Workstations at KTF Bangalore Unit.

1. Improvising
Workstations
Ergonomics
Ankit.P.Bhandari | Ankur thankuria
B.Ftech (VII)

2. What is Ergonomics?

3. Ergonomic principles
1. Use proper tools
2. Keep repetitive motions to a minimum
3. Avoid awkward postures
4. Use safe lifting procedures
5. Get proper rest

4. Objective
• Select a workstation in the industry of study and try
and develop over it.
• A preferred selection would be to spot an inefficient of
stressful workstation or workplace in the industry and
them apply the ergonomic factors to it in order to find
out as to it is feasible or not to improvise upon it.

5. Workstation-1: Thread sucking
machine arrangement

6. Ergonomics Awareness Checklist
Priority
Task
How hard?
How often?
Score
5
Align to the machine mouth
3
4
12
4
Pull back the garment after specific time
1
4
4
3
Hold garment in place
1
4
4
1
Pick up garment
1
4
4
1
Drop the garment into finished bin
1
4
4
Priority: 5- more prioritised and 1 – less.

7. Contributing factors:
• Awkward posture ( neck bent backwards and awkward
bending of back)
• Repetitive motions/task

8. Explaining the workstation from
ergonomics point of view
1. Sitting/Standing: The workstation is a sitting workstation. There
is no foot rail or foot rest given. Leg and feet have sufficient
workspace. Poorly designed chair. Awkward posture and
repetitive motion.
2. Arm rest : There is no armrest that is given to the operator.
3. Lighting : Lighting in the workstation is sufficient.
4. Body posture (head, neck, trunk): The operator needs to tilt
forward and bend his/her neck, every time he/she is aligning
the garment on the machine mouth or while holding the
garment in its place. Awkward posture-bending of back while
inspecting the garment.

9. Explaining the workstation from
ergonomics point of view
5.
Body posture (arms and shoulders): The elbow makes 90 degrees
angle with the arm while doing the operation. Upper arms and elbows
are close to the body and a bit extended. Wrists and hands are also
kept straight. Hands are slightly raised above the waist level.
6.
Workstation table: Distance from eyes for an operator is 60 cm, when
the operator’s feet is lying flat on the floor.
7.
Environment : The relative humidity of the air is maintained between
30% and 60%. During hot season, KTF has maintained the ambient
indoor temperature between 68° and 74° F (20° and 23.5° C). During
cold season, the recommended temperature is between 73° and 78° F
(23° and 26° C).

10. CHAIRS
Problems:
•
•
•
•
Very poor chairs such as stacking chairs.
Chairs are not adjustable.
They provide no cushioning or back support
Edge of the seat constricts blood flow at the back of the
legs because of a large rounded hump or square edge.
• one individual selects the chair and it does not fit all or
even most operators, and it is not right for all tasks

11. CHAIRS
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
•
•
•
•
•
A stable 5-point base of support
Firm cushioning on the backrest and seat pan
Seat can be adjusted in height and tilt quickly and easily
Seat does not have a hump on the front edge;
Backrest can be adjusted in height and from front to
back

12. CHAIRS
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
• The seat pan is large enough to support the operator but
small enough so that he or she can use the backrest;
• The backrest does not interfere with the movement of
the shoulder blades or arms;
• The chair can swivel when operators have to turn
sideways frequently; and
• The chair has castors only where appropriate, and not
where it makes operators slide away from their
workstation.

13. CHAIRS
• Let operators try the chairs on a temporary basis and
then let each operator select the chair that suits her
or him best.
• Allow operators to select from various seat pan and
backrest sizes and variable height adjustments.
• One chair cannot fit all workers.

14. Work surface
• Inspectors work at a very rapid pace and do not take
scheduled breaks.
• A non-existent or inappropriate work surface results in the
worker using his or her lap as the work surface. This creates
poor neck and back postures that are maintained for
extended periods of time and increases stress on the legs
and feet.
• Operators are not provided with a footrest to help relieve
the stress on their legs and back while seated. Some are
working in poorly lit areas, which can encourage poor
posture and result in eyestrain.

15. Work surface
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
• Provide good quality anti-fatigue mats for inspectors

16. Work surface
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
• The footrest should be independent and adjustable so that
it can be placed in the most appropriate location.

17. Work surface
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
• Give inspectors the option to use a stool and to alternate
between sitting and standing throughout the day.

18. Lighting
• At KTF lighting (lux value) for the inspection
department was up to the standards i.e., ranging
from 1000 to 2000 lux.
• Natural light available.

19. Industrial Ventilation
• In order to redirect and mix airflows from ventilation systems, KTF has
used diffusers or blocks.
• Kept the airflow rates within three and six inches per second (7.5 and
15 centimetres per second). In fact, these airflow rates are barely
noticeable or not noticeable at all.
• The relative humidity of the air is maintained between 30% and 60%.
• During hot season, KTF has maintained the ambient indoor
temperature between 68° and 74° F (20° and 23.5° C).
• During cold season, the recommended temperature is between 73°
and 78° F (23° and 26° C).

20. Workstation-2: Spreading/Cutting table

21. Ergonomics Awareness Checklist
Priority
Task
How hard?
How often?
Score
5
Spreading fabric
5
4
20
5
Cutting fabric
5
4
20
3
Loading of the fabric
3
4
12
2
Stacking cut pieces
2
4
8
Priority: 5- more prioritised and 1 – less.

22. Contributing factors
• Awkward posture (while spreading and cutting the fabric;
repeated reaching, bending, holding of fixed
positions, twisting)
• Visual effort; employees assume awkward postures or
experience eye strain and fatigue because it is hard for them
to see their work.
• Repetitive motions
• Forceful exertions
• Pressure points
• Vibration(cutting machines)

23. Explaining the workstation from
ergonomics point of view:
• Sitting/ Standing: The workstation is a standing workstation,
where the worker stands on the ground. There is no foot rail
or foot rest given. Leg and feet have sufficient workspace
below the workstation. This leads to static neck posture.
• Arm rest : There is no armrest that is given to the operator.
• Lighting: Lighting in the workstation is sufficient.

24. Explaining the workstation from
ergonomics point of view:
• Body posture (head, neck, trunk): The operator needs to tilt forward
and bend his/her neck, every time he/she is matching lines with the
pieces. The head and neck face forward while doing the operation, be
it spreading, cutting or stacking finished pieces.
• Body posture (arms and shoulders): Fabric loading is done manually
with the help of hands. While spreading the hands are completely
stretched and while cutting the fabric, pressure points needed to be
kept in mind.
• Environment : The relative humidity of the air is maintained between
30% and 60%. During hot season, KTF has maintained the ambient
indoor temperature between 68° and 74° F (20° and 23.5° C). During
cold season, the recommended temperature is between 73° and 78° F
(23° and 26° C).

25. LOADING THE FABRIC
Problems:
Loading by hand:
• Bolts of fabric lifted by hand are very heavy and
create a substantial risk of low back injury.

26. LOADING THE FABRIC
Possible solutions
Loading by hand:
• limiting the weight of the bolt,
• using two people to lift the bolt,
• using the turntable on the spreader to assist with
lifting one end of the bolt at a time,
• Using hand-made bolt stands to assist with lifting to
a tall spreader

27. SPREADING THE FABRIC
Problems:
Spreading by hand:
• Long reaches are required to cut across the width of
the fabric each time a layer is completed or flaws are
removed from the fabric.

28. SPREADING THE FABRIC
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Spreading by hand:
• Use two people, one on each side of the table, who
cut towards each other. This reduces a lot of the
reaching and poor postures when cutting across the
width of the fabric.

29. CUTTING THE FABRIC
Problems:
Electric saws:
• Excessive reaching with shoulders and back.
• Poor wrist postures.
• Hand or arm vibration and contact pressure on the
hand when stapling the pattern to the fabric or
perforating the layers of fabric.

30. CUTTING THE FABRIC
Problems:
Extreme postures required
when cutting with an
electric saw.

31. CUTTING THE FABRIC
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Electric saws:
• Improve shoulder and back posture by setting the
table and saw at a good working height for the
operator.
• Extend the handle and cut from both sides of the
table to reduce excessive reaching.
• Avoid poor wrist posture with an adjustable angle
handle.
• Maintain saws and use a vibration-dampening
handle to reduce the amount of vibration.

32. CUTTING THE FABRIC
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Electric saws:
• The best weights for holding down the pattern are
small and have handles on the top. Clamps are also
good for holding the fabric in place.
• A pattern tacker is good for stapling the pattern to
the fabric; it can be manipulated with one hand and
causes less contact stress on the hand than an office
type stapler.
• Adhesive spray can also be used to attach the
pattern to the fabric.

33. CUTTING THE FABRIC
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Electric saws:
• A good waste-disposal method is to use a garbage pail
firmly attached to a dolly.
• Place anti-fatigue mats the length of the table to reduce
foot and leg fatigue.
• Follow other good safety practices such as properly
adjusted guards, chain-mail gloves for straight-blade saw
operators, and regular maintenance on the blade to
ensure it is sharp and lubricated to minimize the force
required to push it through the fabric.

34. Small weight
and clamp for
holding the
pattern and
fabric in place
Pattern tacker

35. STACKING CUT PIECES
Problems:
Piling cut fabric on to the floor requires a stooped
posture. At KTF cut fabric is piled on to the floor instead
of using carts. Sometimes cut pieces are piled
underneath the cutting/spreading tables.

36. STACKING CUT PIECES
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
• Use of carts instead of storing underneath the tables or
onto the floor.
• The best carts for this job have one shelf that is at the same
height as the cutting table. The cut pieces can be slid off
the table directly onto the cart with very little
lifting by
the operator.
• Carts with multiple shelves located close together are also
good. This minimizes the operator’s range of lifting.
• Another type of cart has three shelves. Only the top two
are used and the middle shelf slides out from either side to
allow easier access to it.

37. Floor surface
Problems
Operators stand for extended periods of time on hard
surfaces. Concrete floors can lead to fatigue in the legs,
feet and back. Often no seating option or footrests are
provided

38. Floor surface
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
• Provide standing operators with good quality antifatigue mats that cover the entire working area.
• Provide operators with a footrest and a sit-stand
stool to help relieve the stress on the feet, legs and
back.
• Allow operators to rotate between sitting and
standing work positions.
• Compression stockings can be used.

39. Compression
stocking

40. Aisle spacing
• Aisle spacing for the cutting/spreading activity meets
the ergonomic standards at KTF.
• Secondary aisle spacing is 3 feet and primary aisle
spacing is 5 feet.

41. Conclusion
This project demonstrates that there is ample
room for ergonomic improvements in the
clothing industry. We need to continue to
identify problems and, more importantly,
implement solutions to reduce the risk of
injuries in situations where we know problems
exist.