MANUAL HANDLING OF A FOLDING ROPS WITH SUPPORTING DEVICES: USABILITY EVALUATION IN A GROUP OF MALE AND FEMALE NOVICE USERS

Many fatalities occur during tractor rollover accidents due to the Folding Rollover Protective Structure (FROPS) in folded-down position. Applying an Inclusive design perspective to the design of machinery can contribute eliminating those handling issues which hinder the correct use of the FROPS, making it easy to operate for all the users. Considering the importance of human variability for good design and based on the feminization of agriculture, in the present study eleven male and eleven female novice users of agricultural machinery were asked to raise a traditional FROPS and a modified one equipped with supporting devices (rod + gas spring). Usability of both FROPS was evaluated with a questionnaire on perceived effort, quality of the physical interaction and satisfaction and by the observation of the adopted postures. Modified FROPS was associated with higher usability compared to the traditional one: lower perceived effort, more comfortable postures and higher levels of satisfaction were reported. The on-field observations highlighted that the traditional FROPS was operated by seven males and all the females by standing on parts of the machine, thus risking to lose their balance and fall. Instead, the modified FROPS was operated by all the participants standing with their feet on the ground. In conclusion, the modified FROPS was easily and safely handled by all the users: designing technical solutions taking into account females, generally shorter and weaker than men, could be helpful to safeguard also other populations of workers (e.g. migrants) with small anthropometric dimensions and less muscular strength.