Rural Water Fetching Aid's Ergonomics Design and Evaluation Using a Digital Human Modeling Approach

Authors

  • Praveen Anand Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Technology, Pimpri, Pune, INDIA \ Department of Civil Engineering, Dnyaan Prasad Global University (DPGU), School of Technology and Research, Dr. D. Y. Patil Unitech Society, Pimpri, Maharashtra, Pune, INDIA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4639-321X
  • Bhavesh Chandra Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, Gopalganj, Bihar, INDIA
  • Achal Bhardwaj Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, Gopalganj, Bihar, INDIA
  • Raunak Kumar Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, West Champaran, Bihar, INDIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.5.4.13

Keywords:

Fetching, water fetching aid, DHM, RULA

Abstract

Water fetching is a day-to-day routine work in the rural parts of India. Generally, rural women are more engaged in water fetching activities. By curtailing the postural stress that rural women experience, this study aims to produce an efficient and durable water fetching aid. Based on the findings, it was clear that rural women's postural loads during water collection were quite significant. In this analysis, BSA analysis and RULA ergonomic method was used to examine postural loads, stresses, forces at joint and moment. New design was proposed to resolve the established posture load, stress and moment which may have been cause of development of recorded WRMSD (Work related muscoskeletal disorder). The latest concept has been tested for RULA (Rapid upper limb analysis) scores and BSA (Biomechanical single action analysis) analysis using automated human computer model in CATIA V5 software. The evaluation of new design shows RULA score, stresses, reaction and moments are low at some modification. The outcome of new design meets ergonomic implications and water fetcher’s requirements.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Bhavesh Chandra, Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, Gopalganj, Bihar, INDIA

Er. Bhavesh Chandra is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education at Government Engineering College Gopalganj since October 2022. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology in 2015 and earned his M.Tech in Structural Engineering from National Institute of Technology Patna in 2018

Achal Bhardwaj, Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, Gopalganj, Bihar, INDIA

Mr. Achal Bhardwaj is currently serving as Assistant Professor in Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College Gopalganj . He pursued his BTech in Civil Engineering from NIT Raipur and Mtech in Geotechnical Engineering from MNNIT Allahabad, Prayagraj. He has about four years of teaching experience.

Raunak Kumar, Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College, West Champaran, Bihar, INDIA

 Mr. Raunak Kumar is serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Government Engineering College, West Champaran, Bihar. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Government Engineering College, Jhalawar, and obtained his M.Tech from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Patna. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from NIT Patna with a research focus in the field of Water Resources Engineering. With over 8 years of teaching experience, Mr. Kumar has contributed significantly to engineering education and academic development.

References

[1] Madinei S, Motamedzade M, Mohammadi H, Golmohammadi R. Ergonomic evaluation of working postures using RULA and REBA in manufacturing industries. Journal of Ergonomics. 2016; 6(2):1–6.

[2] Kee D. Systematic comparison of OWAS, RULA and REBA based on a literature review. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2017; 58:27–35.

[3] Dianat I, Salimi A. Working conditions of Iranian hand-sewn shoe workers and associations with musculoskeletal symptoms. Ergonomics. 2016; 59(4):602–611.

[4] Ng YG, Tamrin SBM, Yik WM, Yusoff ISM, Mori I. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder and association with productivity loss: a preliminary study among labour intensive manual harvesting activities. Industrial Health. 2016; 54(1):78–85.

[5] Vyas H, Das B, Mehta S. Occupational injuries in relation to stress and satisfaction among farmers: ergonomic perspective. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2016; 56:188–195.

[6] Geere JL, Bartram J, Bates L, Danquah L, Evans B, Fisher MB, et al. Carrying water may be a major contributor to disability from musculoskeletal disorders in low-income countries: a cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2018; 13(4):e0195931.

[7] Stevenson EGJ, Greene LE, Maes KC, Ambelu A, Tesfaye YA, Rheingans R, et al. Water insecurity in 3 dimensions: an anthropological perspective on water and women's psychosocial distress in Ethiopia. Social Science & Medicine. 2016; 164:21–31.

[8] Biswas G, Bhattacharya A. Assessment of occupational musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers using RULA. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2018; 24(3):1–9.

[9] Duffy VG. Digital human modeling in product design and manufacturing: applications and trends. Procedia Manufacturing. 2015; 3:597–603.

[10] Chaffin DB. Digital human modeling for vehicle and workplace design. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries. 2015; 25(4):424–436.

[11] Binooshakumar C, Ramesh N, Kumar S. Ergonomic intervention to reduce musculoskeletal disorders using RULA. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology. 2017; 6(5):1–5.

[12] Kushwaha DK, Kane PV. Ergonomic assessment and workstation redesign using digital human modeling. Procedia Manufacturing. 2017; 3:446–453.

[13] Singh LP, Bhardwaj A. Ergonomic evaluation of manual material handling tasks using RULA method. International Journal of Engineering Research. 2017; 6(7):312–316.

[14] Porter JM, Case K. Advances in digital human modeling for ergonomics design. Applied Ergonomics. 2016; 53:93–101.

[15] World Health Organization. Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2017 update and SDG baselines. WHO Press; 2017.

[16] Pickering AJ, Davis J. Freshwater availability and water fetching burden in developing countries. Environmental Science & Technology. 2019; 53(13):7275–7283.

[17] Shaikh S, Shinde G. Ergonomic analysis of manual labour using RULA method in Indian industries. International Journal of Engineering Science. 2018; 7(4):45–50.

[18] Das B. An evaluation of ergonomic interventions for reducing musculoskeletal disorders in manual tasks. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2019; 25(3):1–9.

[19] Lowe BD, Dempsey PG, Jones EM. Ergonomics assessment tools for evaluating manual material handling tasks. Applied Ergonomics. 2019; 78:103–113.

[20] United Nations. The sustainable development goals report 2020. United Nations; 2020.

[21] Hambali, R. H., Rahim, S. A. A., Azizan, N., Zali, Z., Akmal, S., & Zin, M. H. (2019, November). Analysis the awkward posture ergonomic risk and workstation improvement simulation in mechanical assembly manufacturing industry using delmiav5. In IOP conference series: materials science and engineering (Vol. 705, No. 1, p. 012044). IOP Publishing.

[22] Kamble, K. P., Pathak, A., Kakade, D. N., Mubeenuddin, S. M., Bagwan, V. A., Patel, P. B., & Taufiquddin, S. M. D. M. (2025). Digital Twins for Urban WASH System Optimization and Resilience Assessment. Waterlines, 43(2), 94-112.

[23] Adagale-Vairagar, S., Gupta, P., & Sharma, R. P. (2025). Underwater Image Enhancement using Convolution Denoising Network and Blind Convolution. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, 15(1), 19408-19416.

[24] Nadupuru, S. R., Bellary, V., Tikhe, K., & Jagtap, A. (2025). Implementation of a village-wide Rainwater collection system. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 621, p. 03001). EDP Sciences.

[25] Wani, T. A., Iqbal, S. M. U., Kale, V., Harpal, D., & Sasikala, G. (2025). Interagency Response Frameworks for Real Time Urban Water Quality Crises. Waterlines, 43(1), 12-23.

[26] Prasad, S., Jadhao, C. W., Vaidya, H. D., & Ikhe, Y. (2026). Multi‐energy microgrids for integrated renewable water supply in off‐grid regions. Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy, e70398.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-31

How to Cite

Anand, P., Chandra, B., Bhardwaj, A., & Kumar, R. (2026). Rural Water Fetching Aid’s Ergonomics Design and Evaluation Using a Digital Human Modeling Approach. Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 5(4), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.5.4.13

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)