Musculoskeletal Disabilities

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, 2006) one of the principal work-related causes of pain and disabilities in the place of work are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most common medical problems in the U.S. as they affect 7% of the American population according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, 1997). These MSDs include problems such as lower back pain, joint injuries and strain on nerves, tendons, muscles and other structures supporting the human body due to repetitive motion. These disorders typically vary in severity depending on the strain and wear and tear the body has been put through. The NIOSH reports that industries with the highest rates of MSDs include the jobs that require the most amount of repetitive and forceful work, while another major factor in increasing the stress on our ligaments and joints is the nonstop work while in an awkward position which considerably increases the risk of injury and leads to fatigue much faster according to WorkSafeBC (1998). According to the research done by the National Safety Council (NSC, 2003) these workplace injuries resulted in billions of dollars in cost to Americans on medical expenses and money lost due to days missed from work. In fact in 2003 alone $156.2 billion were spent these injuries, injuries which included 4500 deaths and 3.4 million physically disabling accidents.
A job that is often overlooked in terms of how
physically demanding some of its tasks are, is that of a banquet server. Many tasks of a banquet server include holding awkward postures for extended periods of time while using force and depending on the size of the event may include a substantial amount of repetition. According to the Health and Safety Executive of the United Kingdom (HSE, 2007) many tasks in and around kitchens can cause back pain and/or other disorders to the upper limbs of the body if not done in a proper and safe manner, as many of these tasks include lifting and/or holding heavy items while doing forceful and repetitive activities in awkward postures. Although carrying plates and beverages, adding and removing tables and setting up dancefloors may also be classified as physically exhausting and meet many of these conditions, the major source of MSDs for banquet servers is tray running. For banquet employees the act of tray running includes having to balance 20 or more pounds of food over your head on a large sturdy 16 by 32 inch tray, from a designated plating area. In an optimal banquet service these designated plating areas are only a few feet away from the banquet itself, however at times these designated plating areas can be as far as a couple hundred feet away when kitchen space is scarce. One of the most prominent interests of the Human Factor field is the prevention of strains and injuries caused in the workplace due to incorrect lifting methods, or in other words the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. In fact according to a study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 1997, overexertion while lifting or holding objects was the cause of a major factor of musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses in the workplace. These MSDs account for 14% of doctor visits and 19% of overnight hospital stays, they also result in limitations in the daily lives of 62% of these people in comparison to just 14% of the national population who live with limitations (NIOSH, 1997). Meaning that statistically speaking employees who work doing jobs that make them liable to MSDs are much more likely to live with long-term limitations compared to the average American. The reason for this is that our bodies function best when working in a comfortable or neutral posture according to WorkSafeBC (1998), therefore improperly running large banquet trays for prolonged times could have negative effects on the human body, and cause muscular, postural and skeletal issues. In fact the actions involved in tray running affect three major parts of the body; the back, neck/shoulder region and the hand/wrist region. The back is affected due to overexertion when holding the food trays; which typically weigh 20 pounds or more. While the shoulder and neck are affected when sustaining the awkward posture of holding the tray overhead which causes the neck and shoulder muscles to contract (NIOSH, 1997). Lastly the hand and wrist region is affected due to the awkward position of the wrist and fingers, which are used to support and balance the load of the tray (WorkSafeBC, 1998). Therefore there is a need to determine and educate banquet servers on the safest and most efficient way of running trays in order to reduce the unwanted effects of this task, and improve the servers’ quality of life and well being.
For the first part of our research, we are going to analyze previously written papers and other material about work related injuries due to carrying heavy banquet trays.
We then will go through these reports and informational guidelines about occupational safety, published by organizations such as WorkSafeBC and the OSHA. After that we will collect and combine all the useful information we have gathered, and create our own guidelines and techniques for carrying large banquet
trays.
The next step in our research will include going to various hospitality establishments such as hotels, restaurants, and bars or any hospitality service where the employees have to run trays filled with multiple plates of food. There we will interview the service staff and survey them on their awareness of the techniques and guidelines for moving and lifting heavy banquet trays. We will then attempt to further improve our findings according to the feedback we get. With this we will construct a study in such a way that it is going to enable us to reach the optimal manner as to how banquet tray running should be done.
In our experiment, we will select random banquet servers working in Columbia, Missouri, and get a baseline observation of how they run trays during a normal day of work. We will then educate them using the safety information we gathered together. After their initial training, service workers will implement these techniques to their routine while on the job for two work days, and fill out an evaluation form we have prepared for them. In this form, they will grade how effective each technique and tip we presented them with was, and if they saw any improvements in their physical and mental well-being after applying these guidelines into their work.
The last part of our research will be gathering all the information we obtained during the time we worked on this paper, and decide on further research that could be conducted on our topic. We will determine the limitations to our subject topic and make suggestions on how our topic could be improved any further.