Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-93-0805-2387: UNICCO; Hartford, Connecticut

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baron, Sherry L. ; Fatone, Peter ; Van Gilder, Thomas J. ; Waters, Thomas R.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Service Employees International Union regarding the use of backpack vacuum cleaners among employees at the UNICCO Service Company (SIC-7349) working at the Traveler's Insurance complex in Hartford, Connecticut, an investigation was begun into working conditions. Use of the backpack cleaners required the workers to bend and stretch with the added weight of the machine strapped to their backs. The long extension cord had to be plugged and unplugged several times per shift and coiled. Workers usually removed the backpack once an hour to rest and get a break from the heat. The three workers who were interviewed indicated that they experienced musculoskeletal discomfort and the sensation of excessive heat. Laboratory testing revealed biomechanical stress and heat exposure along with vibration and noise exposures. The authors conclude that each of the exposures was within the normal recommended exposure limits. The risks which may be posed by the combined effects of these several stressors could not be calculated. The authors recommend that workers be trained in the use of backpack vacuum cleaners, and that workers be allowed some flexibility in the choice of appropriate equipment for a task.
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ear Ergonomics Hot Temperature Maintenance Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Noise Occupational Health Safety Sense Organs Vibration

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• Keywords:
  Back-pack Vacuum Cleaners Biomechanical Stress Biomechanics Hazard-Unconfirmed Heat Heat-exposure HETA-93-0805-2387 Janitorial Services Maintenance-workers MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Noise Noise-exposure OSHA Region 1 Vibration Vibration-exposure

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9308052387
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  19 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Doyle, Tom ; Sizemore, Curt
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00219213
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB94-176450
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 93-0805-2387, 1994 Feb ; :1-19
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  7349 - Building maintenance services, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f5f5168f62e00f29ad460fe36a15fdb1af0fa7869af766fc3fe02b377e19145e21132693fa159296aa06190f1235a9a228061c638265e201837714103b1d3379
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171396/cdc_171396_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 636.01 KB ]