A strap-on stool for field work

By Marcia Miquelon, Outreach Specialist
UW Madison Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project

Stoop labor is unavoidable on berry and vegetable farms, since at times the plants and soil need to be tended by hand. Growers who spend too much time stooping, kneeling or squatting may experience fatigue, muscle soreness or injuries. One alternative is to use an adjustable, strap-on stool that lets you sit while you work.

The one-legged stool buckles around the waist, and adjusts to fit. Once adjusted, the stool moves with the worker and is easy to sit down on again in a new location. It features a durable plastic seat, a single metal leg that adjusts to three different heights, and a 3.5" wide, spring like base so that it does not sink into the ground.

The stool lets workers vary their posture as they work; from sitting to standing, to kneeling, back to sitting, then forward-leaning sitting, and so forth. Changing positions often can alleviate muscle stress and prevent pain. A Finnish research study showed that using the stool reduced the amount of time workers spent in "unacceptable postures" while picking strawberries from 82% to 65%.

"I felt very comfortable on it" claims Sue Hazeltine, of Janesville, WI, who uses the stool for harvesting raspberries. "It saved my back from getting a pinched nerve like last year. I had to learn to space my legs in a certain position to balance on the stool, [but] once I was used to it, it was very easy to move and change positions.... My customers would laugh as I learned to keep my 'bumblebee stool' on as I waited on them."

Some growers or U-Pick customers sit on an upturned five-gallon plastic bucket or use a padded kneeling stool to give their backs and knees a break. The disadvantage of these types of seats is that they must be picked up and repositioned every time the worker moves to a new place in the bed or row. Since the stool fits snugly and moves with the worker, both hands are free to harvest, weed, or carry the harvest container. The stool is also quite affordable, ranging in price from $22-$38. If the stool saves the cost of just one visit to the chiropractor, or enables a handful of U-Pick customers to stay in the fields for longer, then it will pay for itself very quickly.

The strap-on stool shown here is designed for milking cows. It is manufactured by Kruuse, a Dutch company, and is called the Port-A-Stool, Texas Milking Stool, or Strap-On Milk Stool. Local farm supply stores may carry them, or be able to order them through the Coburn Company, a distributor. They can also be mail-ordered through Nasco of Fort Atkinson, WI, 1-800-558-9995. You can also build or modify your own stool to fit your needs.

For more information about the strap-on stool or other work efficiency tools, contact the Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project at (608) 262-1054 or visit our website at http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/.

487 Words

			A strap-on stool for field work By Marcia Miquelon, Outreach Specialist UW Madison Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project Press release \| Tip sheet Stoop labor is unavoidable on berry and vegetable farms, since at times the plants and soil need to be tended by hand. Growers who spend too much time stooping, kneeling or squatting may experience fatigue, muscle soreness or injuries. One alternative is to use an adjustable, strap-on stool that lets you sit while you work. The one-legged stool buckles around the waist, and adjusts to fit. Once adjusted, the stool moves with the worker and is easy to sit down on again in a new location. It features a durable plastic seat, a single metal leg that adjusts to three different heights, and a 3.5" wide, spring like base so that it does not sink into the ground. The stool lets workers vary their posture as they work; from sitting to standing, to kneeling, back to sitting, then forward-leaning sitting, and so forth. Changing positions often can alleviate muscle stress and prevent pain. A Finnish research study showed that using the stool reduced the amount of time workers spent in "unacceptable postures" while picking strawberries from 82% to 65%. "I felt very comfortable on it" claims Sue Hazeltine, of Janesville, WI, who uses the stool for harvesting raspberries. "It saved my back from getting a pinched nerve like last year. I had to learn to space my legs in a certain position to balance on the stool, [but] once I was used to it, it was very easy to move and change positions.... My customers would laugh as I learned to keep my 'bumblebee stool' on as I waited on them." Some growers or U-Pick customers sit on an upturned five-gallon plastic bucket or use a padded kneeling stool to give their backs and knees a break. The disadvantage of these types of seats is that they must be picked up and repositioned every time the worker moves to a new place in the bed or row. Since the stool fits snugly and moves with the worker, both hands are free to harvest, weed, or carry the harvest container. The stool is also quite affordable, ranging in price from $22-$38. If the stool saves the cost of just one visit to the chiropractor, or enables a handful of U-Pick customers to stay in the fields for longer, then it will pay for itself very quickly. The strap-on stool shown here is designed for milking cows. It is manufactured by Kruuse, a Dutch company, and is called the Port-A-Stool, Texas Milking Stool, or Strap-On Milk Stool. Local farm supply stores may carry them, or be able to order them through the Coburn Company, a distributor. They can also be mail-ordered through Nasco of Fort Atkinson, WI, 1-800-558-9995. You can also build or modify your own stool to fit your needs. For more information about the strap-on stool or other work efficiency tools, contact the Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project at (608) 262-1054 or visit our website at http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/. 487 Words Nursery \| Vegetable \| Berry \| Dairy