Changes in ergonomic exposures of nursing assistants after the introduction of a safe resident handling program in nursing homes

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boyer J ; Fulmer S ; Gore R ; Kurowski A ; Punnett, Laura
• Description:
  We evaluated the effect of a nursing home safe resident handling intervention on the ergonomic exposures of nursing assistants. The healthcare version of the Postures, Activities, Tools and Handling (PATH) method was used by 12 observers to examine postures, manual handling, and resident handling pre-intervention and at three months, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months post-intervention. There were marked downward trends in proportion of work time spent repositioning and transferring residents, and an increased use of handling equipment in transferring (Cochran-Armitage tests: all p-values <0.001). While resident handling, nursing assistants were also more likely post-intervention to be in neutral trunk postures, walking rather than standing still, working with both arms below 60 degrees, and less likely to lift loads greater than 22.7 kg. Lateral transfer devices were infrequently observed in use for repositioning; additional training on the use of this equipment is recommended to increase the benefits from the intervention program. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Health Personnel Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Intervention Effectiveness Biomechanics Body Mechanics Ergonomics Tool Exposure Assessment Injuries Injury Risk Intervention Effectiveness Manual Lifting Nursing Nursing Home Industry Patient Handling Posture Total Worker Health

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• ISSN:
  0169-8141
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  42
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044116
• Citation:
  Int J Ind Ergon 2012 Nov; 42(6):525-532
• Contact Point Address:
  Alicia Kurowski , 1 University Ave., Kitson Hall, Room 200, Lowell, MA 01854
• Email:
  aliciakurowski@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20060701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20210831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8e77a4b14e4e74cf0b7fc0c0192204435dec58d06ec886b31ca6cec797bdc3b2f4a340f4cb26f3ee4a0062e76fadd3ae118ed534c5ff430626fa8556493980a9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199940/cdc_199940_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 413.58 KB ]