About the webinar:
Janitorial work is labor-intensive. It involves a diverse range of tasks that expose workers to physical ergonomic risk factors like repetitive forceful hand exertions and moving heavy objects. Previous studies have reported on the high workloads and prevalence of work-related pain and injury among janitors. One component of workload is the time allowance for assigned cleaning tasks, which is commonly set using standard published worktimes.
Recent studies found that the accuracy of such time allocations varied for cleaning tasks performed in commercial office buildings, and that a fast work pace was associated with musculoskeletal pain or discomfort. In this study of California janitors, we used a similar time-study method to compare the actual and predicted time on task when cleaning three different commercial venues: shopping mall, airport, and event center. We also assessed the risk of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and low back pain or injury for cleaning tasks in all three venues.
Results of the risk assessment and time study analyses should be considered together when planning work schedules for janitors since a misallocation of time allotted to clean spaces could contribute to even higher workloads for janitors. Understanding the MSD risk of different tasks can help managers assign jobs, or combinations of tasks, that are safer for janitors to perform.
