No Pain And Sans Strain By: Shaun Tinholt The hazards of cleaning can be reduced with com-fortable, ergonomic tools and equipment. Image courtesy of Diversey Inc. Equipment designed to allow workers to move in a natural fashion is less taxing on the body and makes for higher production rates. Shaun Tinholt is the prod-uct manager of tools and equipment for Sealed Air Corporation’s Diversey brand. An accomplished leader with 20 years’ experience in manufactur-ing, logistics/value chain and product development, Tinholt can be reached at Shaun.Tinholt@Diversey. com. For more information about the cleaning expertise that goes into every product produced by Diversey, visit www.Diversey.com. E Each and every day, in-house custodial profes-sionals and building service contractors (BSCs) complete repetitive cleaning tasks. Over time, these motions have the potential to cause physical pain and reduce employee satisfac-tion, thereby affecting your business’ productivity and profitability. Understanding the way equipment impacts physical health and methods for improving ergo-nomic stressors will better prepare your workers for their cleaning crusades. What’s The Risk? According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), ergonomics involves assessing work-related factors that pose risks to individuals and finding solutions to alleviate those problems. Thus, rather than forcing workers to fit the demands of their occupation, ergonomics designs the job to fit to workers’ needs. OSHA identifies “repetitive, forceful or prolonged exertions of the hands; frequent or heavy lifting, pushing, pulling or carrying of heavy objects; and prolonged awkward postures” as ergonomic risk factors. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Ergonomics . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Cleaning Equipment . The intensity, frequency and duration of these motions also impact a worker’s health by contrib-uting to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which affect the body’s muscles, joints, tendons and liga-ments. In cleaning operations, lifting mop buckets, oper-ating heavy machinery, bending and reaching are typical tasks and movements that put workers in danger. Back, shoulder, neck and wrist pain especially are among ergonomic-related strains for custodial workers. In fact, according to OSHA, MSDs accounted for 29 percent of all workplace injuries and illnesses that required employees to miss work in 2010. Among all occupations, janitors and cleaners rank in the top five for these MSD cases. In addition to time away from work, on-the-job injuries lead to high workers’ compensation claims or OSHA citations, which can significantly affect business success and reputation. The Right Fit New advances in equipment design can limit the prevalence of workplace injuries. Professional cleaners should use machines and 34 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2012
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