Presentation
Field Assessment of Physiological Responses, Trunk Posture, and Work Pace among Commercial Building Janitors
Event Type
Lecture
Occupational Ergonomics
TimeThursday, October 13th4:45pm - 5:00pm EDT
LocationA705
DescriptionThis field study measured the physiological responses, trunk posture, and work pace of commercial building janitors. Data were obtained using direct measurement instruments, along with a time study, performed by shadowing 13 janitors. The measured values were descriptively summarized and compared for the five most common janitorial tasks plus other tasks. The highest average heart rate (112.5 bpm) and percent heart rate reserve (47.4%) were reported during restroom cleaning, while the highest levels of energy expenditures of 3.6 metabolic equivalents and 217.1 calories per hour were reported for mopping. During restroom cleaning tasks, the highest 95% of trunk flexion angles and the highest percentage of time in trunk flexion from 20° to 60° were recorded. Overall, when several tasks were considered, the extent of physiological responses, trunk posture level of joint angles, and exposure time to awkward postures tended to increase as the pace of the work increased.