Evaluation of the Frequency and Risk of Ergonomic Stressors Experienced by Home Care Aides in Puerto Rico

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dondi, Amour C. ; Bellacov, Ryan ; McKinley, Elizabeth A. ; Orta Anes, Lida ; Davis, Kermit G.
• Description:
  Home healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries, expected to increase for decades. Healthcare workers experience a range of work-related musculoskeletal disorders during work tasks. The objective of this study was to observe and quantify the ergonomic hazards experienced by home healthcare workers in Puerto Rico. Eighteen study participants were observed in Puerto Rico while visiting patient homes. Direct observation confirmed perceived ergonomic exposures for home care workers in Puerto Rico. Trunk bent over 25 degrees, and extended overreach were the most prevalent ergonomic stressors experienced by home care workers. Repositioning patients in bed was the most commonly conducted patient handling task by home care workers. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Ergonomics
  • Home Care Services
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Ergonomics; Musculoskeletal disorders; MSD; Home health care; Health care workers; Patient handling;
  • Author Keywords: home healthcare; ergonomics; falls
• Source:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 69th Annual Meeting, October 13-17, 2025, Chicago, Illinois. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2025 Sep; 69(1):1805-1807
• ISSN:
  1071-1813
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Chicago Region OSHA ; New York City Region OSHA ; Ohio ; Puerto Rico
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  69
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071643
• Contact Point Address:
  Kermit G. Davis, University of Cincinnati, 3223 Eden Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0056, USA
• Email:
  kermit.davis@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259416/cdc_259416_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 85.93 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4e3e059791a7ad038cc94d6cbd47a948fc77d6b07cafcb6960b7a238c6e27234478c2360f3a93a513bf95c4910db419594f2a0f0d569c34932b42a0339579916