The Association Between Janitor Physical Workload, Mental Workload, and Stress: The SWEEP Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Albin T ; Arauz RF ; Church, Timothy R. ; Erdman AG ; Gerberich, Susan G. ; Green DR ; Kim H ; McGovern, Patricia M. ; Ryan, Andrew D. ; Schwartz A
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Approximately 2.38 million janitors are employed in the U.S. While high physical workload may explain a lost-work days rate 2.7 times greater than other occupations, little is known about the association between janitors' physical workload, mental workload, and stress. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the associations between physical (ergonomic) and mental workload exposures and stress outcomes among janitors. METHODS: Questionnaire data, focused on ergonomic workload, mental workload and stress, were collected from Minnesota janitors for a one-year period. Physical workload was assessed with Borg Scales and Rapid Entire Body Assessments (REBA). Mental workload assessment utilized the NASA Task Load Index (TLX). Stress assessments utilized single-item ordinal stress scale (SISS) and Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) measures. Descriptive and multivariable analyses, including bias adjustment, were conducted. RESULTS: Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ergonomic workload (task frequency) effects on SISS were: REBA (1.18 OR, 1.02-1.37 CI); Borg (1.25 OR, 1.00-1.56 CI); combined REBA and Borg (1.10 OR, 1.01-1.20 CI). Mental workload was associated with higher PSS-4 levels (0.15 Mean Difference, 0.08-0.22 CI) and a 3% increased risk for each one-unit increase in the SISS scale (1.03 OR, 1.02-1.05 CI). CONCLUSIONS: This research demonstrated a moderate effect of physical and mental workloads on stress among janitors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Ergonomics Custodians Injury Epidemiology Job Stress Mental Health NASA TLX Perceived Stress Scale Psychological Factors Work Analysis Worker Health
• ISSN:
  1051-9815
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064045
• Citation:
  Work 2020 Apr; 65(4):837-846
• Contact Point Address:
  Susan Goodwin Gerberich, PhD, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1156 Mayo Memorial Building, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC -807, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
• Email:
  gerbe001@umn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Work
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5bc7268ef9a4834658d8efc6ec54c89b055e8a6020a4f89436d48255a3e76ddf19a0e00821fdbea1ea9f1cafab072a97d289f3fe4fa8bcb8c6fa5944ef0489b6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222571/cdc_222571_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 272.59 KB ]