IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF STRESSORS AFFECTING MOTORIZED TWO WHEELER RIDERS: AN ERGONOMIC ATTEMPT

Motorised two-wheelers are cost effective fuel-efficient system to manage occupational compulsions and time bound responsibilities but on the other hand they account for maximum traffic accident deaths. Bike riders are exposed to prolonged static posture causing significant angular deviations at all most all joints of the body as well as lumbar angle (L1-L5). All these postural alterations are contributory factors to stress and musculo-skeletal symptoms. Although the vibration remains within the OSHA limit, the vibration map and pain map of a two-wheeler rider’s were observed to have strong correlations. Varied emotional and psycho-social components contribute to cumulative stress among them. Bike riding also involves visual acuity, which alters critical flicker frequency of the riders indicating immense visual stress and subsequent adaptation. Proper stress management, ergonomic intervention in engineering revisions of the two wheeler design may contribute to reduce chances of accident and ensure safety, wellbeing and performance of the riders.