MS, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Medicine: Occupational Safety and Ergonomics

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have the potential to impact a tremendous number of the waitresses and waiters in the United States, yet very little is known about the ergonomic risk factors that these workers routinely encounter. Many of the traditional risk factors for MSDs can be commonly found for wait staff such as lifting and transferring heavy loads, reaching for items (e.g. horizontal trunk moment arm), repetitious tasks, and standing for long periods of time on their feet. The objective of the study was to document the potential risk factors that restaurant servers are commonly exposed to on a typical shift. Twenty servers from three different restaurants within the Midwest metropolitan area were observed by direct observation methods including direct measurement of weight lifted on trays; observation of postures when transferring trays, quantification of sitting and walking by an ActivPal, and workload perception and current body region symptom through a simple survey. The results show that servers carried 16.4 kg per hour or 6.3 kg per tray, which is relatively low compared to other industries. There were more than 90% of the servers who reported standing more than 5 hours, but less than 8 hours during their shift. Objective measures by the ActivPal confirmed a large amount of time on their feet (76% of time standing or walking). The body region with the greatest increase in discomfort at the end of the shift was the upper back (increasing by 55%). The next highest changes in discomfort were in the neck (at 45%) and lower back (at 50%) regions. Also, almost 70% of the servers carried a tray of food in front of themselves, potentially resulting in poor and awkward postures. In all, the current study provides a glimpse into the demands on the servers. Generally, while the number of trays served was not particularly high, the average load represents a risk, especially when peak times could require many more trays served. All indications from the perceptions (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kermit Davis Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Susan Kotowski Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Safety