Arbete i kyla vid mjölkproduktionsanläggningar: Kartläggning och studie av termiska arbetsmiljöproblem
(2002) In JTI Lantbruk & Industri- Abstract
- The aim of the project was to analyse problems with cold when working in dairyfarms
with respect to prevalence, frequency and risk for injuries and to propose
measures for improvements of thermal conditions.
The project comprised two parts: a field study and a questionnaire survey.
The field studies were performed at seven dairy-farms in the Uppsala region and
six dairy-farms in the northern region of Sweden (Västerbotten). Four of the farms
in the Uppsala region were non-insulated loose housing barns, one was an insulated
loose housing barn and two had traditional barns with tie stall. In Västerbotten, five
of the
farms were non-insulated loose housing barns... (More) - The aim of the project was to analyse problems with cold when working in dairyfarms
with respect to prevalence, frequency and risk for injuries and to propose
measures for improvements of thermal conditions.
The project comprised two parts: a field study and a questionnaire survey.
The field studies were performed at seven dairy-farms in the Uppsala region and
six dairy-farms in the northern region of Sweden (Västerbotten). Four of the farms
in the Uppsala region were non-insulated loose housing barns, one was an insulated
loose housing barn and two had traditional barns with tie stall. In Västerbotten, five
of the
farms were non-insulated loose housing barns and one was an insulated loose
housing barn. In total, 20 farmers were studied during milking and animal feeding
and maintenance. The majority of the studied farmers were owners of the farm and
family members.
During the field study, both physiological and physical measurements were performed.
In addition, a detailed observation of the work, which enabled linking of
measured data and the work tasks that were carried out. The physiological measurements
included
skin temperature of different body parts and heart rate. All subjects and their
clothes were weighed before and after work in order to estimate sweating and
evaporation. Further, the energetic workload was measured at the farms in
Västerbotten. The physical measurements concerned air and surface temperature
and air velocity in the buildings where work was performed as well as outdoors.
A questionnaire was sent to 140 dairy-farms in the northern part of Sweden. The
questions concerned problems and discomfort that may be related to cold, for
example, how cold affected the work, problems with clothing, gloves and footwear.
As was expected, the study showed that cold might cause considerable stress for
dairy-farmers during cold weather. However, problems with cold should be
viewed in a larger context. Workers in dairy-farms are exposed to several physical
and physiological stressors in the work environment, such as moisture, organic
dust, musculoskeletal stress and mental stress. During winter, cold adds to these
stressors, which increases
the environmental load on the individual.
The typical climate in the raised milking parlours was as follows: low air temperature,
which was lowest at foot level, high humidity, moisture, frequent draught and
low surface temperatures. Hands and fingers often became cold during milking.
The hands were
often 20-25 °C. Especially the finger temperatures dropped to low levels during
milking. In many cases it was below 16 °C for almost the whole spell of work.
Finger temperatures down to 6 °C were observed at the end of the milking period in
milking parlours with a non-insulated holding area, and 9 °C in milking parlours
with an insulated holding area.
In many cases, foot and toe temperatures dropped to unacceptably low levels. The
reasons for cold feet were reported to be the result of inadequate footwear. This
problem was probably related to the fact that rubber boots without an insulation
layer were very common among the farmers. The second most common problem
was sweaty or wet feet.
An important way to be protected from cold is to use adequate clothing. Cotton,
which absorbs moisture and water well, was a very common material in the garments
worn
by the farmers. For the outer layer of the clothing, a water-repellent material is a
better alternative in cold-wet environments. At heavy work, which results in
sweating, cotton
is not the most appropriate material to wear close to the skin. Sweat is absorbed
by the cotton and thus stays at the skin. This leads to discomfort and feels cold
when heavy work changes to light work, or when the worker moves outdoors.
Many commercial non-absorbing materials, which may contribute to better
thermal comfort, are available. When using underwear made of such materials,
the moisture is transported away from the skin to other clothing layers.
Both the survey results and the observations indicated that cold was experienced as
a minor problem in farms with non-insulated loose housing barns even though
most of the participating farms were situated in one of the coldest regions of
Sweden. In non-insulated loose housing barns, the work and the protection from
cold is most likely adjusted to
the cold climate, and temperature changes may lead to less discomfort, at least, for
that reason. Greater experience of work in cold conditions probably contributes to a
work organisation that minimises cold problems. In traditional barns, temperature
changes between buildings and outdoors are common and were considered a major
cause for thermal discomfort.
Based on the results from this study, recommendations have been worked out.
They provide a long list of interventions to prevent cold hands and feet, advice
about clothing and other measures for improvements of the thermal conditions. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Målet med projektet var att analysera problem med arbete i kyla i mjölkproduktionsanläggningar vad gäller förekomst, frekvens och skaderisk samt att föreslå åtgärder för förbättringar.
Projektet bestod av två delar:
Del 1. En fältstudie, som genomfördes dels i Uppsalatrakten, dels i Västerbottens län.
Del 2. En enkätstudie, riktad till Lantbrukshälsans medlemmar i norra regionen.
Fältstudierna omfattade 7 anläggningar i Uppsalaområdet och 6 anläggningar i
Västerbotten. Av anläggningarna i Uppsalaområdet hade fyra kall lösdrift, en varm
lösdrift och två uppbundna kor. I Västerbotten hade fem kall lösdrift och en varm
lösdrift. Totalt studerades
20 personer under... (More) - Målet med projektet var att analysera problem med arbete i kyla i mjölkproduktionsanläggningar vad gäller förekomst, frekvens och skaderisk samt att föreslå åtgärder för förbättringar.
Projektet bestod av två delar:
Del 1. En fältstudie, som genomfördes dels i Uppsalatrakten, dels i Västerbottens län.
Del 2. En enkätstudie, riktad till Lantbrukshälsans medlemmar i norra regionen.
Fältstudierna omfattade 7 anläggningar i Uppsalaområdet och 6 anläggningar i
Västerbotten. Av anläggningarna i Uppsalaområdet hade fyra kall lösdrift, en varm
lösdrift och två uppbundna kor. I Västerbotten hade fem kall lösdrift och en varm
lösdrift. Totalt studerades
20 personer under mjölkningsarbete och djurskötsel. Flertalet av dem var egna
lantbrukare respektive familjemedlemmar.
Vid fältstudierna gjordes både fysiologiska och fysikaliska mätningar. Dessutom
gjordes observationer av arbetet så att olika data kan kopplas samman med
arbetsmomenten.
De fysiologiska mätningarna omfattade hudtemperatur på olika delar av kroppen
och hjärtfrekvens. Vidare vägdes försökspersonerna och deras kläder före och efter
studien för att man skulle få någon uppfattning om svettning etc. De fysikaliska
mätningarna gällde luft- och yttemperatur samt lufthastighet i de utrymmen där
arbete utfördes samt utomhus. I Västerbotten studerades arbetstyngden genom
mätning av syreförbrukningen.
Frågeformulär utsändes till ca 140 mjölkproducenter i Norrbotten och Västerbotten
anslutna till Hälsa Sverige, med förfrågningar om eventuella svårigheter och besvär
som kan hänföras till kyla. Flera av frågorna gällde en uppskattning av hur kylan
inverkade
på arbetet. Många frågor gällde också klädseln inklusive handskar och
fotbeklädnad.
Som väntat visade det sig att kylan kan medföra stora påfrestningar på personalen
vid arbete i de studerade mjölkproduktionsanläggningarna vid kallt (respektive
mycket kallt) väder. Problem med kyla bör dock ses i ett större sammanhang.
Lantbrukare som arbetar med mjölkproduktion är utsatta för flera fysiska och
psykiska faktorer i arbetsmiljön, såsom väta, organiskt damm, belastningsbesvär
och stress. Vintertid kan kylan utgöra
ett problem som adderas till de övriga och som därmed ökar belastningen på
individen.
Klimatet i mjölkgropen kännetecknades av låg lufttemperatur, som var lägst vid
golvet, fukt, ofta drag och låga yttemperaturer. Händer och fingrar blev ofta kalla
vid mjölkning. Händerna var ofta bara 20-25 °C. Fingertemperaturen blev särskilt
låg vid mjölkning. I flera fall var den under 16 °C nästan hela arbetspasset. Fingertemperaturer
ända ner till
6 °C respektive 9 °C uppmättes vid slutet av mjölkningen i mjölkgrop med varm
respektive kall samlingsfålla.
Fot- och tåtemperaturerna minskade i många fall till oacceptabelt låg nivå. Som
anledning till att fötterna blev kalla angavs oftast problem med skyddsskor. Detta
problem hade sannolikt samband med att ofodrade gummistövlar använts i stor
omfattning när man arbetar i våt miljö. Det näst vanligaste problemet var svettiga
eller våta fötter.
Ett viktigt sätt att skydda sig mot kyla är att använda ändamålsenliga kläder.
Kläder av bomull, som suger åt sig fukt och väta lätt, användes av många. Ytterst
är ett material
med vattenavvisande egenskaper ett bättre alternativ i kall och våt omgivning.
Bomull
är inte heller lämpligt närmast kroppen vid arbete som innebär svettning. Fukten
från kroppen sugs upp i bomullen och stannar kvar vid huden. Det ger obehag och
känns
kallt då tyngre arbete med svettning övergår till ett lugnare tempo. Det finns många
syntetiska material i handeln som inte absorberar fukt. Fukten från huden kan i ett
plagg av sådant material röra sig bort från huden och vidare ut till andra klädlager.
Kroppen känns då både behagligare och varmare.
Både enkätsvar och observationer tydde på att kylan upplevdes som ett mindre
problem i gårdar med kall lösdrift, trots att många av gårdarna som ingick i
undersökningen låg i norra Sverige, som har låga vintertemperaturer. Vid kall
lösdrift anpassas sannolikt arbetet och skyddet mot kyla till låga temperaturer och
temperaturväxlingarna blir färre, vilket leder till mindre obehag av åtminstone
den anledningen. Den större erfarenheten av arbete i kyla gör förmodligen att
lantbrukarna organiserar sitt arbete på ett sätt som minimerar problemen med
kyla. Arbetet på gårdar med uppbundna djur innebär många växlingar mellan
inomhus- och utomhustemperatur. Just temperaturväxlingar angavs vara en vanlig
orsak till obehag.
Baserat på resultaten från undersökningen har rekommendationer utarbetats. Det
gäller en lång rad åtgärder för att motverka kalla händer och fötter, drag m.m.
samt hur man bör klä sig. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/631702
- author
- Gavhed, Désirée ; Fredriksson, Klas ; Kuklane, Kalev LU ; Holmér, Ingvar LU and Norén, Olle
- organization
- alternative title
- Work in dairy-farms during the cold season: Survey and field study of the thermal environment
- publishing date
- 2002
- type
- Book/Report
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- JTI Lantbruk & Industri
- pages
- 90 pages
- publisher
- JTI
- report number
- 290
- ISSN
- 1401-4963
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 3ac4df15-36c6-47d7-a5da-9a68ee50a4fb (old id 631702)
- alternative location
- http://www.jti.se/uploads/jti/r290on.pdf
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 16:57:14
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 20:45:27
@techreport{3ac4df15-36c6-47d7-a5da-9a68ee50a4fb,
abstract = {{The aim of the project was to analyse problems with cold when working in dairyfarms<br/><br>
with respect to prevalence, frequency and risk for injuries and to propose<br/><br>
measures for improvements of thermal conditions.<br/><br>
The project comprised two parts: a field study and a questionnaire survey.<br/><br>
The field studies were performed at seven dairy-farms in the Uppsala region and<br/><br>
six dairy-farms in the northern region of Sweden (Västerbotten). Four of the farms<br/><br>
in the Uppsala region were non-insulated loose housing barns, one was an insulated<br/><br>
loose housing barn and two had traditional barns with tie stall. In Västerbotten, five<br/><br>
of the<br/><br>
farms were non-insulated loose housing barns and one was an insulated loose<br/><br>
housing barn. In total, 20 farmers were studied during milking and animal feeding<br/><br>
and maintenance. The majority of the studied farmers were owners of the farm and<br/><br>
family members.<br/><br>
During the field study, both physiological and physical measurements were performed.<br/><br>
In addition, a detailed observation of the work, which enabled linking of<br/><br>
measured data and the work tasks that were carried out. The physiological measurements<br/><br>
included<br/><br>
skin temperature of different body parts and heart rate. All subjects and their<br/><br>
clothes were weighed before and after work in order to estimate sweating and<br/><br>
evaporation. Further, the energetic workload was measured at the farms in<br/><br>
Västerbotten. The physical measurements concerned air and surface temperature<br/><br>
and air velocity in the buildings where work was performed as well as outdoors.<br/><br>
A questionnaire was sent to 140 dairy-farms in the northern part of Sweden. The<br/><br>
questions concerned problems and discomfort that may be related to cold, for<br/><br>
example, how cold affected the work, problems with clothing, gloves and footwear.<br/><br>
As was expected, the study showed that cold might cause considerable stress for<br/><br>
dairy-farmers during cold weather. However, problems with cold should be<br/><br>
viewed in a larger context. Workers in dairy-farms are exposed to several physical<br/><br>
and physiological stressors in the work environment, such as moisture, organic<br/><br>
dust, musculoskeletal stress and mental stress. During winter, cold adds to these<br/><br>
stressors, which increases<br/><br>
the environmental load on the individual.<br/><br>
The typical climate in the raised milking parlours was as follows: low air temperature,<br/><br>
which was lowest at foot level, high humidity, moisture, frequent draught and<br/><br>
low surface temperatures. Hands and fingers often became cold during milking.<br/><br>
The hands were<br/><br>
often 20-25 °C. Especially the finger temperatures dropped to low levels during<br/><br>
milking. In many cases it was below 16 °C for almost the whole spell of work.<br/><br>
Finger temperatures down to 6 °C were observed at the end of the milking period in<br/><br>
milking parlours with a non-insulated holding area, and 9 °C in milking parlours<br/><br>
with an insulated holding area.<br/><br>
In many cases, foot and toe temperatures dropped to unacceptably low levels. The<br/><br>
reasons for cold feet were reported to be the result of inadequate footwear. This<br/><br>
problem was probably related to the fact that rubber boots without an insulation<br/><br>
layer were very common among the farmers. The second most common problem<br/><br>
was sweaty or wet feet.<br/><br>
An important way to be protected from cold is to use adequate clothing. Cotton,<br/><br>
which absorbs moisture and water well, was a very common material in the garments<br/><br>
worn<br/><br>
by the farmers. For the outer layer of the clothing, a water-repellent material is a<br/><br>
better alternative in cold-wet environments. At heavy work, which results in<br/><br>
sweating, cotton<br/><br>
is not the most appropriate material to wear close to the skin. Sweat is absorbed<br/><br>
by the cotton and thus stays at the skin. This leads to discomfort and feels cold<br/><br>
when heavy work changes to light work, or when the worker moves outdoors.<br/><br>
Many commercial non-absorbing materials, which may contribute to better<br/><br>
thermal comfort, are available. When using underwear made of such materials,<br/><br>
the moisture is transported away from the skin to other clothing layers.<br/><br>
Both the survey results and the observations indicated that cold was experienced as<br/><br>
a minor problem in farms with non-insulated loose housing barns even though<br/><br>
most of the participating farms were situated in one of the coldest regions of<br/><br>
Sweden. In non-insulated loose housing barns, the work and the protection from<br/><br>
cold is most likely adjusted to<br/><br>
the cold climate, and temperature changes may lead to less discomfort, at least, for<br/><br>
that reason. Greater experience of work in cold conditions probably contributes to a<br/><br>
work organisation that minimises cold problems. In traditional barns, temperature<br/><br>
changes between buildings and outdoors are common and were considered a major<br/><br>
cause for thermal discomfort.<br/><br>
Based on the results from this study, recommendations have been worked out.<br/><br>
They provide a long list of interventions to prevent cold hands and feet, advice<br/><br>
about clothing and other measures for improvements of the thermal conditions.}},
author = {{Gavhed, Désirée and Fredriksson, Klas and Kuklane, Kalev and Holmér, Ingvar and Norén, Olle}},
institution = {{JTI}},
issn = {{1401-4963}},
language = {{swe}},
number = {{290}},
series = {{JTI Lantbruk & Industri}},
title = {{Arbete i kyla vid mjölkproduktionsanläggningar: Kartläggning och studie av termiska arbetsmiljöproblem}},
url = {{http://www.jti.se/uploads/jti/r290on.pdf}},
year = {{2002}},
}