Hispanic hotel housekeeper injuries: A labor union and university collaborate to address the occupational health needs of a vulnerable worker population

Hispanic Hotel Housekeeper Injuries: A Labor Union and University Collaborate to Address the Occupational Health Needs of a Vulnerable Worker Population.

Recent studies show that hotel workers suffer higher injury rates than service workers overall, and that hotel housekeepers in particular experience an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Current trends in hotel room luxury upgrades and the consequential increase in workload and work speed may be causes for this increased risk to housekeepers, who are overwhelmingly female, predominantly women of color, and very often immigrant workers.

Using employer workplace injury records (OSHA 300 logs) and employment data for hotels with collective bargaining agreements, university researchers and the hotel workers' union UNITE HERE performed risk of injury analysis by demographic subgroups. Newly released data from 2002-2005 indicates race/ethnicity and gender disparities in the risk of injuries to U.S. workers in the “full-service” hotel sector. Results show that Hispanic women exceed all other subgroups in both injury rates and estimates of relative risk.

Given these findings combined with 1) the known increased risk of workplace injury to hotel housekeepers, and 2) the fact that housekeeping departments represent the largest number of hotel employees, the investigators further examined injuries to Hispanic women hotel housekeepers. Data about nature of injury, body part affected, event/exposure and days away from work data will be presented for the first time. Recommendations will be made for future studies and interventions towards reduction of hotel housekeeper injuries in general, and as applicable, for Hispanic housekeepers specifically.