Assessing postural loads and musculoskeletal disorders in saffron harvesters: a prospective repeated-measures observational study using an agricultural-specific tool
Mahdi Jalali, Seyyed Poorya Fazeli, Sayed Vahid Esmaeili, Mahdieh Niroumand, Reza Esmaeili · 2026
Read Assessing postural loads and musculoskeletal disorders in saffron harvesters: a prospective repeated-measures observational study using an agricultural-specific tool by Mahdi Jalali, Seyyed Poorya Fazeli, Sayed Vahid Esmaeili, Mahdieh Niroumand, Reza Esmaeili (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13346488.txt.
Description
Mahdi Jalali and co-authors measure the bodily strain of saffron harvesting in a 2026 field study. Saffron pickers work for weeks in deep squats and bends, with fast hand motions. Such work breeds muscle and joint disorders. The team followed two hundred twenty harvesters in an Iranian province across the 2023 season. Each worker was checked just before the season and again at its end, about six weeks later.
A farm specific posture tool scored the work as high to very high risk. Discomfort rose clearly over the season in every body region. Knees hurt most, followed by wrists and lower legs. Shoulders, thighs, and feet also worsened in a clear way. Risk differed by working posture for the neck, back, and several other sites. The authors urge ergonomic redesign of the harvest task and rest patterns.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Mahdi Jalali, Seyyed Poorya Fazeli, Sayed Vahid Esmaeili, Mahdieh Niroumand, Reza Esmaeili |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 48 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |