Date of Award
2006
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Supervisor
Dr. Anthony A. Vandervoort
Abstract
The overall objective of this doctoral thesis was to investigate the risks for occupational injury in the food service industry. A variety of different research methodologies were utilized to gain a clear perspective on what the risks were and the potential for complementary information that can be gained by each approach. Study one explored occupational injuries in a University environment through a descriptive analysis of a retrospective injury database over a five year period (2000 2004). A total of 2029 cases were reported for various employees with an average age of 42 years. The most frequent injuries were to the hand (40%), were musculoskeletal in nature (42%), and resulted from being “struck or contacted by” (33%). The greatest number of incidents occurred in food services, followed by physical plant and staff services. Closer examination of incidents reported by food services alone indicated 53% of injuries occurred to the hand and 72% of these required first aid. Meanwhile, 19% of physical plant injuries occurred to the back and accounted for 40% of total back injuries and 50% of all lost time claims. Thus, there is strong evidence to support further, more detailed analysis of occupational injuries in academic institutions. Study two used qualitative research methodology to explore the understandings of risk as experienced by food service workers and how these compare with an ‘expert’ in risk assessment. The findings of semi-structured telephone interviews with 13 food service workers showed that such risks were multi-dimensional in nature, representing not only the physical requirements of the individual’s job, but also the social interactions of the food service workers with their coworkers, management, and the organization. Food service workers were also found to be a rich source of knowledge and experience concerning occupational risk and may be underutilized when designing interventions. iii Study three determined the inter-rater reliability of the 3DMatch load assessment tool (Callaghan, University of Waterloo), which predicts cumulative and peak spinal loads. Three physical therapy students acted as raters evaluating a single job task for 30 food service workers. Overall, 85.5% of variables had moderate to excellent inter-rater reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.30-0.99 for all cumulative and peak loading variables for the lumbar spine and shoulder. 3DMatch was found to be a reliable ergonomie tool when more than one rater is involved. Study four explored the difference between levels of cumulative and peak loads experienced by food service workers reporting different levels of shoulder and low back pain (no pain, pain, and pain severe enough to seek health care). The results of the study indicate that FSW were at an increased risk of low back pain resulting from the high peak compression forces measured when compared to the established standards. Cumulative compression forces were also among the highest published to date. For all but one cumulative and peak loading variables (right peak shoulder extension moment), no statistically significant differences were found between the levels of pain severity for the back and shoulder based on the peak and cumulative loads measured at those body locations. Future studies need to closely examine those tasks that contribute most to the cumulative loads experienced by food service workers
Recommended Citation
Cann, Adam P., "EXPLORING THE RISKS OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN FOOD SERVICE WORKERS: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH" (2006). Digitized Theses. 5094.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/5094