Authors (including presenting author) :
LAU MHL(1), LAW LKK(2), WONG CYM(3), LEUNG KKL(1), CHAU RMW(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, Kowloon Hospital, (2)Adminstration Division, Kowloon Hospital,(3)Catering Service, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
Kowloon Hospital consistently takes the initiative to promote Occupational Safety and Health(OSH) and prevent accident proactively. Supporting staff in Catering Service are exposed to risk like scald and slip trip & fell(STF) and manual handling operation(MHO). These injuries accounted for 29.4% of injury on duty(IOD) in HA, which resulted in reduced manpower or restricted work duty. Sprains and strains injuries are caused by substantial repetitive movements due to the physically demanding job nature in kitchen. Wet and oiled surfaces create a slippery floor from frequent hose projectile cleaning and occasional spills which compromises the work environment. Therefore, innovative strategies are pivotal in minimizing the risks from MHO injuries and to increase the awareness of environmental hazards for catering service workers.
Objectives :
The project aims to promote OSH and increase staff awareness by reinforcing safe MHO practice and to avoid STF injuries by identifying environmental hazards.
Methodology :
MHO and STF injuries account for 41% of IOD cases in Kowloon Hospital(KH) (2021), which a quarter of the reported cases involved supporting workers. Staff in catering service received conventional OSH training from the orientation program yet lacking specificity to their unique work setting. Therefore, Kowloon Hospital Catering Service and the Physiotherapy Department joined in partnership to introduce a specific accident prevention program embedded in OSH training for catering service staff.
1. Worksite specific OSH training
On-site ergonomic assessment was performed to investigate hazards at the high-risk workplace. Suboptimal and repeated MHO activities and slippery environments in the kitchen were highlighted to prevent repetitive stress and fall injuries respectively.
2. Close communication with supervisor regarding to frontline behaviour
Workers may adapt convenient but awkward movements or objects overloading for quick task completion in the fast-paced compacted kitchen which resulted in various types of musculoskeletal injuries. Therefore, supervisor and physiotherapist cooperated to formulate feasible solutions with enhanced compliance and risk minimization in the confined work area.
3. Tailor-made OSH case sharing video
A tailor-made video training program was cast by current staff at catering services. The contents reflected the real scenario by shooting at related contextual site in reference to the reported incident, followed by rectification of maneuver in prospective of prevention. Familiar scenes and faces of colleagues provided a deep impression to the audience and distinctive correlations to their daily work.
Result & Outcome :
The accident prevention program for catering colleagues was found to be effective and was reflected in the MHO or STF injury figures being reported since 3Q 2022. All participants(n=28) agreed that the program improved postural awareness, escalated their alertness of workplace accidents, and increased work efficiency.
