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Ergonomics and Facilities Planning
Ergonomics
Commonly referred as to human factors
Is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems.
He goal of human factors is to reduce human error, increase productivity, and enhance safety and comfort with a specific focus on the interaction between and human and the thing of interest.
Ergonomics in Hospitality Industry Ergonomics
prevents these types of injuries by fitting the job to the person using proper equipment and work practices.
Ergonomics Solutions For The Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry is a prime candidate to implement ergonomic solutions. Workers in restaurants and lodging facilities perform many types of jobs. Many of these jobs are very physical. Dishwashers, servers, bartenders and luggage handlers are all at risk of on-the-job injuries.
Cintas Corporation releases a list of the top restaurant injuries in 2011. Among them were sprains and strains as they stated, “Misplaced or hard-to-reach items can cause worker injury due to overreaching or trips. Restaurant workers can also suffer from strains due to improper lifting.”
Housekeeping, the riskiest job. Housekeepers lift and carry heavy objects. Push heavy carts and vacuums. Reach high and low to clean rooms, and the do it over and over again.
The Centers for Disease Control says about 1.8 million people worked in the Traveler/ Accommodation industry in 2008. Of those, 400,000 were hotel housekeepers. Among other things, they are at risk for:
Musculoskeletal injuries from bending and pushing
Slip-and-fall injuries
Respiratory illnesses or skin reactions from cleaning chemicals
Chris Montrossis vice-president of CKI Risk Solutions. His company provides ergonomic solutions for the hotel industry. He says housekeepers clean 15-20 rooms a day. Compared to the average service industry worker, they are:
48% more likely to suffer on-the-job injury
51% more likely to be serious, disabling injury
In the hospitality industry, about 62% of housekeeping injuries are musculoskeletal. Bed making is the leading cause. Mattresses are bigger and far heavier than they used to be. That increases lifting strain. Mattresses sit at belowthe-waist level. They are often in close quarters with walls or other furniture. Housekeepers must assume awkward positions to make the bed. Montross quotes a study from the University of California at San Francisco: 91% of housekeepers report job-related pain 67% have sought medical treatment 35% have filed worker’s comp claims as a result
These Are All Good Reasons to Adopt Ergonomic Solutions Essential considerations for choosing ergonomic solutions in any industry are:
Postures - awkward positions increase risk of injury. Movements – actions that are repeated frequently increase risk of injury. Budget – hospitality employers are suffering huge losses due to workers’ comp injuries. The need to invest in ergonomic solutions is obvious. Fortunately, many solutions are not expensive.
Researchers noted that among cumulative trauma injuries for housekeepers: 40% affect the lower back 22% affect the hand or wrist 13% affect the shoulder Researchers also outlined ways to improve housekeeper health such as: Encouraging them to wear comfortable shoes Starting the work day with warm-up exercises Early reporting of aches or pains Training on safer, more efficient ways to work