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Employers have the primary
responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their
workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work
practices of their employers.
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During Dishwashing:
- To help limit back flexion (forward bending at the waist) while washing items in a large sink:
- Place an object such as a plastic basin in the bottom of
the sink to raise the surface up while washing items in
the sink.
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Basin in deep sink
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- Rearrange work spaces so it is
easier to reach for supplies
used routinely and to prevent over-reaching and awkward
back, shoulder, and wrist postures.
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Over-reaching
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Lower your rinse nozzle to rest at mid-body height to reduce your reach.
- Reduce your reach while rinsing dishes by lowering the
rinse nozzle to rest at mid-body height.
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Elevated overhead reach |
Reduced reach
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- To limit over-reaching when placing glasses into racks, fill
the near rows first, then rotate the rack to bring the back
rows to the front.
- Reduce overhead reaching; try to keep reaches at chest to
waist level.
- Don't overload dish racks.
- Rack heavier items, such as plates, closest to you.
- Empty and sort cutlery bins before they are full.
- Use cleaning tools with good grips when heavy-duty
cleaning is required.
- Vary your activities to space out repetitive tasks.
- Vary your technique to use different
muscle groups;
alternate between
left and right hands.
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Elevated overhead reach |
For more information see: Drive
thru-Prolonged Standing Module.
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Employers have the primary
responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their
workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work
practices of their employers.
Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:
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During Table Clean-up:
- Provide workers with containers to be used where possible to
carry dirty dishes. Employees must be warned not to overfill
containers, or they will have to lift or carry excessive weight.
- Provide small rather than large containers, to limit the amount
of dirty dishes that can be stacked and carried at one time.
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Bussing table with container
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- If space permits, provide carts to put dirty dishes
and heavy bussing containers on, rather having workers carry them.
- Choose carts with large wheels
that roll easily, to prevent strain/sprain injuries to employees
from pushing or pulling heavy carts.
- If space permits, decrease the distance workers must carry containers. Provide close
"stations" to put bussing containers on that are located
near the serving and clean-up area, so that the teen worker
doesn't have to return dirty dishes all the way into the kitchen
area.
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Bussing cart with wheels |
- Leave outdoor furniture set up outside,
outdoors at night. This may substantially decrease the amount
of lifting required to set up and break down outside eating
areas.
- Instruct employees to get help when moving tables and
chairs or other heavy objects, rather than lifting alone.
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Moving tables with help |
During Garbage Removal:
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- Reduce lifting during garbage
removal tasks by using garbage handling bags with wheels
or garbage cans with wheels for
garbage collection when possible.
- Handling bags have a frame
with one side open to allow for easy disposal of garbage
without reaching into and pulling bags up and out. The bags
should be able to slide off the cart without lifting.
- Limit the size and weight of these bags and provide
handles to further decrease lifting hazards.
- Use garbage cans that have a frame versus a solid can to
promote ease of emptying. This will prevent plastic bag liners
from sticking to the inside of the can. If the garbage bag
gets stuck in the can, you must lift a lot more weight to
release the vacuum than just the weight of the garbage.
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Handling bag with open frame and wheels |
- Use anti-cling products that can be applied to the
inside of your garbage can to prevent the plastic bag from
sticking to the inside of the can.
- Limit the size of garbage containers to limit the weight of
the load employees must lift and dump.
- Place receptacles in unobstructed and easy-to-reach places.
- Install dumpsters at or below grade level.
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The orange strips in this photo are a product
that prevent garbage bags from sticking to the inside of cans.
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Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:
- Choose properly designed equipment
like adjustable level rinse nozzles to help reduce the hazards
associated with repetitive overhead and elevated reaches.
- Provide cleaning tools with good
grips.
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