Madzlan, Amirah Aida (2018) Subjective preference and perception of safety and thermal comfort on fabrics of upper working garments among oil palm plantation workers at Sandakan, Sabah. [Project Paper] (Submitted)
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Garments are important for agricultural workers especially in tropical climate country and their primary role is to protect the body against unsuitable physical environments and injuries. The use of inappropriate garment may be the contributing factors that lead to heat-related illness and external physical injuries and because of this, the fabric of garments need to be considered while selecting the appropriate garment for work that can maximize the safety and health of the workers. There is in need to determine the best type of fabric for upper working garments. One way to do so is based on the workers' subjective preference and perception on safety and health aspects. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the perception of safety and thermal comfort and subjective preference of upper working garments among oil palm plantation workers at Sandakan, Sabah. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 113 harvesters in oil palm plantation. A questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic and occupational information, perception on workplace safety and thermal comfort, fabric perceptions and subjective preference. RESULTS: The results indicated that a total of 75.2% workers in the plantation preferred 100% microfiber polyester as upper working garment's fabric. The subjective preference of fabrics were significantly associated with the prevalence of external physical injuries (x.2=5.23 p-value=0.02) and heat rash (x2=5.23; p-value=0.02). Also, there is a significant association between the subjective preference with the perceptions in terms of thermal comfort for heat resistance (x2=22.63; p-value<0.001) and sweat absorption (x2=15.77; p-value< 0.001 ), safety ((x2=34. 74; p-value<0.001) and comfort (x.2=41.25; p-value<0.001 ). Based on the results, the workers' preference of fabric was associated with their perception on the fabrics of clothing. CONCLUSION: Majority of the workers in the plantation preferred 100% microfiber polyester as upper working garment's fabric and selected 100% microfiber polyester for the perceptions on fabrics as safer, feels more comfortable, feels cooler when wearing and is quicker to dry under the sun. However, most of the workers perceived 100% cotton has better absorption rate. This study reveals the acceptance of workers on the properties of 100% microfiber polyester specifically the safety and thermal comfort characteristics to be used as fabric for upper working garments. This study provides data that can be used for further study to come out with related suggestions and design for upper working garment especially for outdoor agricultural workers working in tropical climate country. Keywords: subjective preference, fabrics of upper working garments, oil palm plantation workers
| Item Type: | Project Paper |
|---|---|
| Faculty: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Science |
| Depositing User: | Ms Norafizah Radzuan |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Nov 2024 03:23 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Nov 2024 03:23 |
| URI: | http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/2242 |
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