SMART SAFETY INTEGRATION IN TRADITIONAL CHAFF CUTTER MACHINES TO PREVENT UPPER LIMB AMPUTATIONS IN SOUTH ASIA
Keywords:
Chaff Cutter Machine Injuries, Fodder Cutting Machine Accidents, Agricultural Machinery Related Amputations, Upper Limb Trauma in Agriculture, Farm Equipment Safety Engineering, Traumatic Hand Amputation in Rural Areas, Sensor Based Safety System for Agricultural Machinery, Energy utilizationAbstract
The use of chaff cutter machines is common in South Asia’s rural communities when harvesting food for animals. While chaff cutter machines are vital in agriculture, they are the leading contributor of severe upper limb injuries, which include amputations in the fingers and hands. According to epidemiological studies done in various parts of Pakistan, India, and Nepal, chaff cutters are responsible for 45% of injuries sustained in agricultural machinery. Chaff cutter injuries account for about 40% of 500 recorded injuries due to agricultural machinery in Pakistan within six months. These injuries result in amputations, the rate of which varies between 35% and 60%. Most of the people injured using chaff cutter machines are less than 30 years old. The main reason behind such injuries arises from faulty engineering designs of the machinery. Typically, the conventional chaff cutter functions with exposed feed rollers along with a rotating blade without having any automatic detecting device. After entrapment, due to the pull of the feed rollers and the momentum of the flywheel, release becomes highly unlikely, often leading to irreversible harm. In order to deal with the issue, this study combines evidence collected from epidemiology with an engineering approach to improve on safety design. Such an improvement comprises of a hand detecting system, an automatic braking system for stopping the blade rotation, an enhanced blade cover along with an emergency switch. This new design intends to interfere in the process
