Determination of a hand functionality index for workers in the flower industry.

The flower industry is one of the main economical sectors in Colombia with regard to exports and generated direct employment. This industry is, however, responsible for a large proportion of all occupational disease in Colombia, which appears to be related to the high number of cases of carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed in this economical sector. The elevated number of cases of carpal tunnel syndrome is believed to be due to highly repetitive manual operations that are typical of this industry. Although research has been conducted to alleviate physical demands through better tool design, efforts have been limited by the lack of knowledge on hand anthropometrics of this Colombian working population. The aim of this study is to describe comprehensively the distribution of hand dimensions and hand strength of a population of workers from the Colombian flower industry. This study also aims to develop a predictive model of detailed hand dimensions based on other hand and body dimensions that are less time-consuming to document. The result of this project is expected to promote and facilitate anthropometric-based hand tool design for workers of the Colombian flower industry.