Development and application of an innovative instrument to assess work environment factors for injury prevention in the food service industry.

BACKGROUND With the growth the food service industry and associated high injury and illness rates, there is a need to assess workplace factors that contribute to injury prevention. OBJECTIVE The objective of this report is to describe the development, application, and utility of a new instrument to evaluate ergonomics and safety for food service workers. METHODS Starting with a similar tool developed for use in healthcare, a new tool was designed through a collaborative, participatory process with the stakeholders from a collaborating food service company. The new instrument enables the identification and assessment of key safety and health factors through a focused walkthrough of the physical work environment, and structured interviews exploring the organizational work environment. The researchers applied the instrument at 10 of the partnering company's worksites. RESULTS The instrument identified factors related to both the physical work environment and organizational and contextual environment (e.g., vendor-client relationships) impacting worker safety and health. CONCLUSIONS Modern assessment approaches should address both the physical and organizational aspects of the work environment, and consider the context complexities in which the worksites and the industry operate.