Abstract
The traditional irrigation system called Foggara is still used at a large scale in the western deserts of Algeria. In order for the Foggaras to survive, they must be maintained. Maintaining Foggara needs a lot of human work along the year, particularly in hot months when the water becomes vital for humans, animals and the palmary as a whole. Foggara maintenance work is usually done underground in wells, tunnels and shafts (confined areas).
This research aims to develop an ergonomics assessment tool for working postures in confined underground spaces. Research sample consisted of 13 male subjects working in the Foggara maintenance for many years. The development of the tool has gone through various stages.
Researchers were able to build the tool (UPAT) that fits the situation being researched. UPAT has been proven to be valid and reliable, not to be used in this research only, but to be accessible to other researchers to use in similar situations.
The use of the tool in the field, showed that Foggara maintenance workers, whether working in wells or in tunnel, adopt different working postures (standing, stooping, squatting, kneeling and crawling), for different time periods. The full picture of what is happening in the maintenance of the Foggara can be extrapolated from these partial results. Therefore, it can be comprehended that this type of work is hazardous, tiring and exhausting as it involves a lot of physical, mental and psychological stress.
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to the president and members of the association of the Foggara ( Mohamed Djelloul), particularly to: Mr. Djoudi Mohamed & Kina Abdelkader. In addition to the president and members of the association of the Foggara (Tagraf), particularly to: Reggani Hassane, Reggani M’Barek, Kessassi Djelloul & Bahki Mostapha.
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Mebarki, B., Mokdad, M., Semmani, M., Mokdad, I. (2021). Development of Underground Posture Assessment Tool (UPAT) for Underground Enclosed Spaces: The Algerian Foggara as an Example. In: Black, N.L., Neumann, W.P., Noy, I. (eds) Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2021). IEA 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 221. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74608-7_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74608-7_28
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