With the growth the food service industry and associated high injury and illness rates, there is a need to assess workplace factors that contribute to injury prevention.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this report is to describe the development, application, and utility of a new instrument to evaluate ergonomics and safety for food service workers.
METHODS:
Starting with a similar tool developed for use in healthcare, a new tool was designed through a collaborative, participatory process with the stakeholders from a collaborating food service company. The new instrument enables the identification and assessment of key safety and health factors through a focused walkthrough of the physical work environment, and structured interviews exploring the organizational work environment. The researchers applied the instrument at 10 of the partnering company’s worksites.
RESULTS:
The instrument identified factors related to both the physical work environment and organizational and contextual environment (e.g., vendor-client relationships) impacting worker safety and health.
CONCLUSIONS:
Modern assessment approaches should address both the physical and organizational aspects of the work environment, and consider the context complexities in which the worksites and the industry operate.
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