Warning: This footage is NOT in fast-motion
The job of these Chinese workers consists of packing card decks into small cardboard boxes as fast as possible. Simple, really, if it weren’t for the breakneck pace they work at.
As press agencies around the world provided non-stop coverage of the 33 trapped Chilean miners, the Chinese heard about the Sany SCC4000, a Chinese-made crane whose planned use in rescuing the miners was widely publicied in state-run news agencies. This video, posted on the Chinese website Youku, is a reminder that not everything “Made in China” is as glorious as state-run newspapers might have readers believe.
Comments left by viewers on the site stretch on for 14 pages and go from the sympathetic (“These people are treated like cattle”) to the sarcastic (“What amazing technology we have!”).
Contributors
Sheilagh Anderson
“Except for the lighting, all of the work conditions in this video are very poor”
Dr. Sheilagh Anderson is a physiotherapist at Beijing’s International Hospital.
The first thing that struck me was the amount of background noise. The workers are obviously in a machine room and are not wearing earplugs, as they seem to manage to talk to one other.
The next observation is that the room must be cold as they are all wearing fingerless gloves and full jackets. They are seated on what appear to be wooden stools which are non-adjustable and therefore not the correct height for anyone. It is also important to note that their backs are unsupported by the stools.
Starting from the top of the body, repetitive strain syndrome can cause several discomforts, namely:
- Tight neck muscles, especially since their heads are perched over the body, and out of the base of support. They are also likely to suffer from fatigued ligaments, which will become over-stretched if lacking in recoil after a repeatedly sustained position. This often leads to pinching of soft tissue structures when trying to sit up straight.
- The muscles at the front of the shoulders will get tight, making it more difficult to sit straight as time goes on. The shoulder blades are likely to shift and the mid-spine will start to hurt and get very stiff.
-The rapid finger movements performed by the workers and their reliance on elbows, wrists, and hands are likely to lead towards inflammation of tendons around the thumb and front and back of the wrist, and the forearm muscle.
- Tension headaches due to neck/shoulder back muscle tension seem very likely, not to mention the added stress from the constant noise.
The only thing that looked OK was lighting; otherwise, their working conditions are very poor. Overall, the health risks posed by the job seem to outweigh the benefits, although I’m sure after such practice, these workers would be rather slick in the casinos!"