Ergonomics in the Garment Industry

Ergonomics in the Garment Industry discusses the importance of ergonomics in the garment industry, with a detailed scientific analysis and examples from the garment industry. Application of ergonomics through the standardization of micro and macro environment in the garment industry provides an example of how to design the present and future processes; increases the efficiency and productivity of production; improves health, safety and comfort of people in the working environment.

Knowledge of ergonomic conditions prevents employee discomfort, fatigue and physical injury. Injury related to poor ergonomic conditions can be prevented by designing the physical work environment around the physical needs of individual employees. Therefore, it is necessary to know physiological, psycho-sociological and anthropometric ergonomic conditions.

It is important to analyze each workplace in the production of garments and find the way how to reduce the health problems of workers to a minimum with maximum increase of productivity. Chapters analyze divisions of ergonomics; conditions of work; ergonomic principles in designing workplace, working processes and environment, determining working time and handling material; ergonomics in the storage of textile materials; ergonomics workplaces in garment manufacture preparation, cutting room, sewing room and finishing room, and garment warehouse and stores.

Publisher: Woodhead Publishing India Pvt. Ltd

ISBN: 9789380308265

Pages: 220

Pub Date: 25-Jan-2014

Price: Rs. 1495.00

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Fashion cycle

Product research means following its life cycle, which will signal company to appropriate adjusting of production program and its upgrading in regard to quality and assortment. Adjusting can be achieved by improving existing programs or conquering and launching new products in that very moment.

Fashion cycle (duration of fashion) is different for each product – it is longer for permanent consuming goods (few years) and shorter for clothes and shoes (few months). When a product becomes a fashion one, after being launched on the market, it is necessary to make certain changes on it at the right time in order to remain such for a long period of time. While creating a new fashion style of product these things should be taken into account:

·   Costs of changing and of new production.

·    Promotion of new product on the market.

Business models in the garment industry

In Europe there are six main types of business models in the garment industry:

1)     Independent multi-brand stores

Independent multi-brand stores can be described as “stand alone” retailers who may havevery diverse assortment strategies because they cover the whole range of quality and price and vary in the degree of specialisation in clothing. Typical for this business model is that it is impossible to influence the design, cut, and branding. Compared to other business models, the lead times are comparatively long and may account for about 6 month or sometimes even longer. Multi-brand stores do not have private labels since they do neither own production facilities nor cooperate with subcontract manufacturers. This distribution channel is dominated by SME´s, which will not have very extensive supply chain processes.

Muscle-bone disorders

Ergonomic disorders are the fastest growing category of all the occupational illnesses. They include 56% of all diseases. Ergonomic risk refers to the physical stress factors and workplace conditions that carry a risk of damage or muscle-bone disorders of the employees. The risk is always present when the job requirements exceed the ability of workers to perform the task. If the tasks or movements repeat frequently (for example, every few seconds) the strain upon the muscles and tendons can accumulate, which can lead to permanent tissue damage. Tendons and muscles can often recover from the effects of repetitive stress if there is enough time to rest between these repetitions. Unfavorable working postures increase the fatigue of workers and the time of performing technology operations.

The main objective of physical ergonomics is to increase comfort, to reduce pain and the occurrence of muscle-bone disorders. The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) defines a Muscle-bone disorders (MSD) associated with work as such disorders and diseases of musculoskeletal system that have a causal determinant which is associated with work. Damages and degenerative changes of the musculoskeletal system are the consequence of mismatch between the requirements for the load of organism and the abilities of organism to respond to those requests.