2026-09-18T20:36:29Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1113942022-01-13T07:54:09Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Bishwapriya Sanyal.
Madhavan, Jaswanth
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
a-ii---
2017-09-15T15:32:14Z
2017-09-15T15:32:14Z
2017
2017
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/111394
1003291808
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 66-68).
In many parts of the Global South, including India, a significant number of informal workers, particularly women in the informal economy, engage in sewing, embroidery, and other forms of manufacturing work within informal segments of the textile and clothing sector. Despite substantial progress in labor rights and workplace safety regulations, the persistence of hazardous workplace conditions renders such workers vulnerable to potentially disabling forms of 'Repetitive strain injuries'. 'Repetitive strain injuries' frequently result from poor ergonomic design of workplace equipment. This thesis on India's informal textile and clothing sector studies the usage characteristics of workplace technologies at the organizational and individual levels, and their interactions with broader social and institutional arrangements that characterize informal sewing units. In partnership with Usha International Ltd. and SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) Bharat, the thesis demonstrates how context-sensitive ergonomic interventions can be developed for and with those working within the informal textile and clothing economy. The thesis achieves this by studying ergonomic risk from the bottom-up by using focus group discussions and key informant interviews, with the goal of (1) collecting both qualitative and quantitative information and (2) facilitating the unveiling of hidden rationalities that influence workplace decision making and studying their implications for technical and policy solutions.
by Jaswanth Madhavan.
M.C.P.
72 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Urban Studies and Planning.
Unconventional wisdom from below : understanding social and technical determinants of ergonomic risk in the Indian informal textile and clothing sector
Understanding social and technical determinants of ergonomic risk in the Indian informal textile and clothing sector
Thesis
application/pdf
Publication
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<Abstract>In many parts of the Global South, including India, a significant number of informal workers, particularly women in the informal economy, engage in sewing, embroidery, and other forms of manufacturing work within informal segments of the textile and clothing sector. Despite substantial progress in labor rights and workplace safety regulations, the persistence of hazardous workplace conditions renders such workers vulnerable to potentially disabling forms of 'Repetitive strain injuries'. 'Repetitive strain injuries' frequently result from poor ergonomic design of workplace equipment. This thesis on India's informal textile and clothing sector studies the usage characteristics of workplace technologies at the organizational and individual levels, and their interactions with broader social and institutional arrangements that characterize informal sewing units. In partnership with Usha International Ltd. and SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) Bharat, the thesis demonstrates how context-sensitive ergonomic interventions can be developed for and with those working within the informal textile and clothing economy. The thesis achieves this by studying ergonomic risk from the bottom-up by using focus group discussions and key informant interviews, with the goal of (1) collecting both qualitative and quantitative information and (2) facilitating the unveiling of hidden rationalities that influence workplace decision making and studying their implications for technical and policy solutions.</Abstract>
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