Janitorial

Ergonomics in the health care industry has gotten a lot of attention, and for good reason. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), often the result of poor ergonomics at work, account for a disproportionate number of the workplace injuries suffered by health care workers. A team of Canadian researchers found that MSDs made up nearly 75 percent of the reported injuries in their 10-year study of health care workers, for instance

Thanks to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), U.S. schools keep hungry students fed and ready to learn. The NSLP collects detailed records, which also makes it a valuable stand-in for the state of public and private school cafeterias more generally. If that’s true, then we’ve got a problem: School cafeterias are creating enormous amounts of food waste.

Whether they work at the elementary, high school, or collegiate level, all school janitors spend a lot of time handling garbage. This is a constant and repetitive task involving frequent bending and awkward postures. That is, it’s an ergonomic hazard.