TIME-MOTION STUDY OF DATE PALM TRADITIONAL CLIMBING METHOD AND USING CLIMBING MACHINE

Refai, Mohamed Ahmed; El-Adawy, Wahba Mohammady; Nasr, Gamal E. M.; Mohamed, Abdalla Mamdouh; Helmy, Haytham S.

doi:10.21608/agro.2024.326676.1529

TIME-MOTION STUDY OF DATE PALM TRADITIONAL CLIMBING METHOD AND USING CLIMBING MACHINE

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo Umiversity

² Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University

³ Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, ‎Egypt.‎

10.21608/agro.2024.326676.1529

Abstract

Date palm tree crown operations activities in Egypt are traditionally performed by date palm owners relying on human labor These methods classified as difficult and has a high risk in terms of work safety and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). This study aims to study the traditional climbing methods besides a comparison of comfort levels with the climbing machine. Both subjective and objective tests are conducted. Subjective tests are based on operator subjectivity complaints as seen by Nordic Body Map (NBM), whilst objective tests are based on Range of Motion (ROM), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and also Motion-Time Study (MTS) which done to indicate specific engineering parameters that evaluate targeted climbing methods. (NBM) score was 86 which considered as high degree of risk, most of (ROM) measurements were in the alert zone, (REBA) assessment score ranged between 6 and 12 which considered as medium to very high risk. Work Study (MTS) illustrated in a sequence flowchart and indicated that traditional climbing and coming down time was higher than mechanical method by 21 and 87 seconds when using mechanical forward speed of 20 and 30 cm/sec respectively. Also mechanical savings in time and increase in output when using speed of 30 cm/sec were 39.37 % and 65.74 % respectively. Finally, all tests results indicate that employing a portable date palm climbing device reduces the operator's risk than traditional climbing does, improves and develop the climbing process or ergonomics, and achieve the advantages of mechanizing operations implementation.

Keywords