Background/Objectives

Janitorial service work is typically labor-intensive and demands heavy workloads. Despite the exposures to numerous occupational risks and resulting high injury occurrences, there is a lack of research addressing the burden of injuries and associated risk factors in this neglected occupation. The objectives of this study were to: 1) Determine the incidence and severity of injury occurrences in janitors and identify associated risk factors; and 2) Analyze the effects of workload exposures on injury occurrence.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted to collect data among janitors in the SEIU Local 26 from May 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017. Injury- and exposure- related data were collected through specially designed questionnaires while workload data were collected using both fitness tracker bracelets and questionnaires. The varying workloads and other exposures experienced by janitors were characterized using basic descriptive analyses. Multivariable analyses, including bias adjustment, and Poisson regression techniques were used to determine associations between exposures and occupational injury.

Results

A total of 390 janitors participated in the study (response rate = 33%); among them, 34% reported experiencing at least one injury. The most common injury reported was pain (66%), and 16% of injury cases resulted in hospital admittance. There were significant increases in risk based on age, ethnicity, shift start time and depression. Of the janitors, 37% reported an increase in workload over the study period. Adjusted analyses indicated a significant relation between change in workload and duration of sleep and occupational injury. Through analyses of workload and injury, stratified by sleep quality, there was a significant association among those with sleep disturbances.

Conclusions

Knowledge of specific risk and protective factors is very important. These factors can serve as a basis for further in-depth studies and inform the development of targeted intervention strategies aimed to reduce occurrence of these injuries.

Background and Objective(s):

Janitors are a growing population that are low-wage, low-status, and face high rates of occupational injury. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the national rate of nonfatal occupational injury and illness involving days away from work for ‘Janitors and Cleaners…’ in 2017 was 231.0 per 10,000 full-time workers, more than twice that of ‘All Occupations’ (98.0). Previous research has identified risk factors including excessive workload. In 2018, the Washington State (WA) Legislature funded the Washington State Janitorial Workload Study (JWS) to quantify physical demands, assess safety and health needs, and identify potential risk factors in the janitorial workforce. JWS brings together stakeholders including policymakers, the business community, and labor (Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 6-Seattle).

Methods:

JWS includes multiple components, and two will be discussed here, a telephone survey and injured-worker interviews. Janitorial workers are a hard to reach population, so multiple methods will be used to identify the population: records from the WA Department of Employment Security, workers’ compensation (WC) claims, and through SEIU-6.

Expected Results:

The telephone survey will be conducted out of an estimated 5,000 eligible janitors statewide. Injured-worker interviews will be conducted with workers who file workers' compensation claims (expected n=35-50). Results will identify major tasks performed, percent time doing tasks and difficulty level with tasks/tools/methods, identify psychosocial risk factors, assess individual safety climate perceptions, and identify chemical and physical hazards.

Conclusion(s):

The study builds on previous work and its components are designed to assess how the physical and psychosocial environment, tasks, technologies/tools/methods, work organization factors, duration, and exposures combine to influence Janitors' health and safety. The results of the study can be used to identify potential solutions, generate prevention and training materials, more efficiently conduct outreach, and inform policy.

Background/Objective(s):

The Washington State Legislature asked the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) to conduct a study to assess janitors’ work conditions. The goal is to identify workplace hazards to improve occupational health and safety. The findings will be used to formulate/support evidence-based interventions. This presentation will use focus groups and interview data to describe hazards, occupational health disparities, coping strategies, and solutions identified by janitors.

Methods:

The data for this presentation comes from focus groups and interviews conducted with janitors in Washington State. These were facilitated in English and Spanish, and they will be expanded to other languages (i.e., Amharic, Bosnian, Somali, and Vietnamese). Community-based participatory recruitment strategies were used to coordinate focus groups and to arrange interviews. NVivo is being used to identify emerging themes (e.g., hazards and occupational health disparities).

Expected Results:

Janitors identified the following health and safety concerns: chemical exposures, increasing workload, claim suppression, discrimination, different types of harassment, and the lack of information to report issues. They also shared their coping strategies (e.g., supporting each other, working with the union/nonprofit organizations, etc.). The data collection will continue through December 31, 2019; the most relevant responses will be analyzed to identify emerging themes. These will be displayed in the presentation.

Conclusion(s):

Occupational health disparities are prevalent across industries and in society as a whole. The janitorial industry is rich in diversity, and those who work in this industry experience intertwined levels of vulnerability. That leads to various forms of exploitation and discrimination. The goal of this presentation is to create a platform for their concerns and proposed solutions to be heard.

Janitors’ recommendations will be used to generate/guide prevention materials, trainings, and recommendations for legislation to address evident structural problems. Avenues for stakeholders to collaborate and to tackle these issues will also be identified.

Janitorial work has been transformed over the past four decades from being integrated within firms to being an outsourced function provided by janitorial services firms. Where once the integrated firm had unified responsibility for work-site control, employment policies, regulatory compliance and occupational safety, the outsourcing of janitorial work means that work-site control is divorced from responsibility for OHS compliance. With low entry barriers, market competition in the janitorial services industry is intense, with many small firms seeking clients. Such competition can be expected to put downward pressure on wages, to increase workloads for janitors, and to undermine safety performance. There has also been an increase in the number of janitorial services firms operating under a franchised organizational form. Franchise arrangements further lower barriers to entry by providing small entrepreneurs with a ready list of accounts to service along with financing to pay the franchise acquisition fee. However, the franchise contract imposes significant conditions for performance standards, payment of royalties, and management fees. These conditions can be expected to intensify pressures to reduce labor costs, leading to lower wages and higher worker turnover. High turnover of franchised firms is also expected.

In Washington State in 2018 we identified over 600 franchised janitorial services firms out of a total of over 1400 in the industry. We matched 120 of these franchised firms to administrative records for workers compensation and unemployment insurance.

We report results from administrative data sets comparing franchised janitorial firms to traditionally organized firms. In comparison to traditional janitorial firms, we expect franchised firms to exhibit: higher workers’ compensation claims rates, more lost workdays, higher worker and business turnover, lower wages, longer weekly work schedules, and more OSHA citations.

Background and objectives: Janitorial work is considered labor intensive with a demanding pace and high musculoskeletal loads (Seixas et al. 2013). Due to the nature of janitorial work, the body parts mostly affected are back, legs, and arms (lbid.). Kumar and Kumar (2008) developed a conceptual model of potential factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among janitors. The three main influencing factors are: work procedures, environment and tools/methods; individual factors; and organizational and psychosocial contexts. While the latter two can be identified using interviews and surveys, the work factors should be objectively identified. Due to the complex nature of the industry, previous studies used survey as a proxy, or laboratory simulations, to estimate work factors. Both methods may suffer from subjective bias, or unrealistic representation of actual works. Field observations and assessments of task performances are essential to understand the variation of tasks, methods, and individual techniques in order to determine the representative workload and injury risks. Therefore, the study goal is to quantify ergonomics, physical and psychosocial workload through fatigue and MSD risk estimates for common janitorial tasks.

Methods: Forty to 80 janitors will be recruited to be observed. Ergonomics assessment tools, including Strain Index, Rodger’s Muscle Fatigue Model, and MANTRA will be used by trained ergonomists during site visits. Fitbit trackers will be used to monitor janitor activity and heart rates as indicators of workload.

Expected Results: Variations of the physical and psychosocial work environment will be observed and analyzed. Variations of the technology, tools and work methods used will be categorized and their effects on workload and MSD risks will be evaluated. Results available at the time of the meeting will be presented.

Conclusion: This study aims to develope and later validate a janitor physical and psychosocial workload calculator to minimize the risks through job and personnel assignment.