A doctor in a hospital absent-mindedly tosses a used hypodermic syringe into the regular trash; later that day, a housekeeper inadvertently jams the syringe needle into his hand while emptying the same trash bin.

Precautionary blood tests show that the housekeeper did not contract a bloodborne pathogen from the needle injury.

The whole episode still proves costly for the organization. The incident costs the hospital in training and compensating replacement workers who were hired to fill in for the injured housekeeper. Management also implemented corrective actions for all employees in order to prevent further injury, which led to scheduling delays and lost time by the supervisor who spent time training, hiring and scheduling workers. In addition, the organization had to foot the bill for an accident investigation and administrative expenses for records and filing claims. Indirectly, the incident negatively impacted morale among housekeepers, which led to an increase in absenteeism and turnover. The cleanliness and the appearance of the hospital gradually began to deteriorate.

This incident reflects one of many workplace hazards facing today’s housekeeping profession. According to a 2003 study by the U.S. Department of Labor, cleaning employees in private industry were fifth most likely to be injured on the job.

To keep employees safe from injury, managers must implement a thoughtful safety program that emphasizes focused training and relies on documented “best practices.”

An expert opinion
In the previous incident, the hospital’s safety officer recommended that the housekeeping manager hire a professional consultant to help improve worker safety.

The manager called Jeffrey Camplin, safety environmental consultant for Camplin Environmental Services, Chicago. Camplin performed a safety audit and implemented a safety program to help improve risk awareness among nurses and doctors. He analyzed the routes and methods of handling rubbish and hazardous waste streams and revised safety procedures. Camplin saved the hospital money in waste management costs, as it was disposing of nonhazardous waste using the same precautions required for hazardous waste.

Camplin says he’s typically called when a company already has suffered a worker fatality or significant injury and its insurance coverage is at risk. Hospital management also turns to consultants whenever there are problems working effectively with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Hospital consultants agree that OSHA can be an effective source for safety planning information.

“Most cultures don’t care [about OSHA], or are compliant,” he says. “They buy a video, show it once a year, and sign a form. But when they create a program and start seeing all the benefits, they wish they’d done it before.”

OSHA reports that it’s the employer’s responsibility to do everything feasible to eliminate hazards before putting the burden on the worker to use protective equipment or take safety precautions, Camplin says. That means the onus is on housekeeping managers to train workers and provide them with safety tools and equipment.

Once Camplin has their attention, it’s not difficult to convince building owners and executives to get serious about safety — all you need to do is “show them the money,” Camplin says. Studies have shown that indirect costs of worker injuries are as much as 20 times higher than direct costs. In a poll by Liberty Mutual, CEOs say that for every dollar they invested in safety programs, they received $3 in return.

“[Injuries are] not just an hour of downtime and a $500 emergency room visit,” says Camplin. “The indirect costs could add up to $9,000. Put that in terms of production rate, and then owners get it. Say, ‘One of your workers can clean this amount of floor [surface], which equates to 15 days of work’ — now you have something they can relate to.”

Introducing safer practices
In Rochester, Minn., two hospitals servicing the Mayo Clinic (12,035 beds) are cleaned by a staff of 400, says Jean Lee, director of the hospital environmental services group.

New employees spend the first 15 days in orientation. Five days are devoted to classroom work where they study infection control and learn about cleaning tasks, protective equipment, emergency procedures, MSDS sheets, and other safety matters. Workers spend 10 days shadowing, observing, performing duties and gearing up into full productivity.

Mayo is just beginning to track savings from its safety initiatives.

At the smaller of the two hospitals, heavy, hard-to-maneuver buckets and ringers have been replaced with microfiber mops. The hollow mop handles are filled with cleaning solution from a quart-size jug kept on the housekeeper’s cart.

“Staff are certainly happier with this system — it’s much less work,” says Lee.

Stairways are easier to clean now, too, especially with refillable backpack systems that hold a gallon of solution, easily worn by any housekeeper.

“It’s much easier than the previous mop and bucket and struggling doing stairs,” she says, adding that floors dry faster, reducing the risks of slip-and-fall accidents.

Workers use disposable dusters with 3-foot-long extensions to reach high areas, which eliminates the need for ladders. Housekeepers use the tools to dust woodwork, televisions, VCRs, as well as other nooks and crannies. Another benefit: Dusters don’t release dust and germs into the environment.

“Sometimes it’s the smallest little thing that contributes ease to what they have to do,” says Lee. “It doesn’t have to be a thousand-dollar machine.”

In-house research has proven very valuable for Lee. Four years ago, Mayo Clinic management collected data that allowed managers to understand what was realistic and reasonable to ask of housekeeping staff and devised two workload systems — fixed items done daily, and variable deep cleaning performed when a patient is discharged and the room is available.

When assigning fixed tasks, Lee says she looks at square footage, intensity and frequency. “Then we build assignments [to total] 450 minutes per day,” she says. “We build the assignment based on 100 percent occupancy, then on a daily basis our workload system works with the admission discharge transfer system to ‘buy back’ time for variable work. It helps because we’re not asking more than a person could possibly do, which creates stress, carelessness and a tendency to work too fast.”

A focus on physical safety
Housekeepers in the hospitality industry share many of the same tasks and safety challenges as medical facilities.

“Housekeeping [safety] is one of our largest areas of operation,” says Lester Washington, Marriott International regional director of loss prevention, Western Region.

Marriott’s newly hired housekeepers are given a complete job safety analysis including training on tasks, tools, inherent risks, and measures to safeguard themselves.

“They must physically demonstrate proficiency with proper performance of the task, and the handling of tools and equipment,” says Washington.

Housekeepers are retrained annually — or following an injury.

“The first thing we impress is that they’re responsible for their own physical and mental well-being,” he says. “And we give them tools. We help educate them on staying fit, recognizing signs of the body saying things are not quite right. First, look at weight, diet, rest — the primary things.”

The organization requires four-part OSHA training on bloodborne pathogens, lockout/tagout, hazard communications (chemical safety) and emergency procedures for events such as fire.

Shifts begin with 20 minutes of limbering-up activity, including stretches and joint rotations. Then there is discussion about what’s going on that day and refreshers on safety: using gloves and goggles in restrooms; checking for and eliminating carpet frays; checking wiring on vacuum cleaning equipment; risks and procedures for handling bloodborne pathogens; walking forward, not backwards while vacuuming to avoid bumps and bruises; preventing shocks by not yanking cords from outlets from a distance; avoiding falls and slips by not using the edge of the tub as a step ladder; and the proper way to change heavy bedding.

An outside company sets up Marriott’s chemical stations and provides MSDS sheets in both English and Spanish. Housekeeping workers maintain the system and provide accountability in the event of deviations.

Job safety analyses (JSAs) have proven very beneficial. The former paper-only task descriptions have been researched via housekeeper and supervisor interviews and observations, and rewritten to ensure hazards are eliminated or reduced.

This year, committees within each operational area of every Marriott location are reviewing their JSAs for accuracy in task steps, inherent hazards, and control measures. Washington says there are 45 “generic” JSAs, but that number will soon increase. He received 185 from one facility alone, and hopes to have an extensive library of up to 4,500 posted on the corporate Web site.

“The key [to the program’s success] is ensuring people are on the committee who want to be part of the process,” says Washington, adding that the committees are made up of mostly front-line housekeepers, and several directors, typically from human resources, loss prevention and engineering departments. “You don’t want it to become a management meeting,” he says.

Creating a safety culture
OSHA offers several free interactive computer programs with hazard assessments. OSHA also includes forms and tips for corporate communications. Camplin and OSHA recommend the following steps:

• Credible management involvement and inclusion of employees.

• Worksite analysis of potential hazards and changes in conditions.

• Eliminating and controlling hazards.

• Following up with effective education, training and communication.

“People that have a facility audit and then develop a program get the biggest bang for the buck,” says Camplin. “Then integrate this into how you do business. It’s like getting into a car, and putting on your seatbelt. It isn’t a safety thing, it’s just how you drive a car.”

Morale and attitude
Mayo Clinic’s Lee says she thinks fewer injuries occur when staff feels like they’re contributing and valued by management, and that one of her best injury preventatives is “simply treating people well, appreciating them and saying ‘thank you.’ I don’t know how you’d measure it, but if people are happy and feel appreciated they feel different, and perhaps work safer,” she says.

Those sentiments echo Washington’s, who says housekeepers are often very hard workers who are eager to please — so eager that they’re prone to work too fast and risk injury to get rooms sparkling clean or carpets perfectly groomed. Some even ask to bring their own chemicals from home for the job or scrub so hard they can get repetitive motion strain or carpel tunnel syndrome. He says he applauds their drive, but they’re constantly reminded to take safety precautions.





POSTED ON: 9/1/2005