Design, implementation and evaluation of a participatory ergonomics program among home-based Mapuche weavers

Abstract

The Mapuche comprise 80% of the indigenous population of Chile. The Araucanía has the highest concentration of Mapuche peoples and is also the poorest region of the country. The region’s proximity to a large tourist sector provides opportunities for weavers to work from home and sell their products as a primary or secondary income source. The adverse health effects related to craft production and home-based work are significant and not well described in the literature. Participatory ergonomics (PE), an approach that emphasizes the input and participation of individuals directly impacted by the work being studied, is a strong fit for this population. This article describes a PE project among 33 Mapuche weavers that characterizes the hazards, risks and perceived adverse health effects associated with home-based weaving and the identification, implementation and evaluation of three ergonomic interventions. This project can inform the development of sustainable ergonomics health programs for home-based artisans.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous
• artisans
• weaving
• participatory ergonomics
• hazards
• community-based participatory research
• interventions

Acknowledgements

The investigators would like to thank the NGO CEO and the NGO weavers for their collaboration and time and their willingness to share their stories. The team thanks Terry Snyder for providing subject-matter expertise and allowing the study team to adapt her study tool. The study team would also like to thank Professor Hugo Romero Toledo from the Universidad Católica de Temuco for his support and mentorship.The team also thanks Javiera Naranjo for allowing us to use and modify her loom illustration (Figure 1). The team would also like to thank the kinesiologists, especially Dr. Claudio Muñoz, from the Universidad de la Frontera for their expert services in providing ergonomic assessments and the optometrists from the Lions Club for providing eye examinations to the participants. The investigators would also like to thank Easy, a local home improvement store in Temuco, for working with us to obtain the headlamps for the weavers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [grant number: NIOSH #T42/OH008672].