by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations
Patient
services employee, Jack McDaniels, prepares lunch trays using a cart.
For a long time, Jerome Gathers would say nothing about the pain in his lower back.
In his daily job of delivering meal trays to MUSC hospital patients, Gathers wouldn’t complain as he struggled to maneuver 400-pound food delivery carts around a windy path from the first floor hospital kitchens to the service elevator.
Although Gathers and other co-workers were challenged with handling food carts, nothing interrupted the delivery service of a patient’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, until spring 1998. Gathers was among eight dietary employees who suffered from job-related injuries which resulted in lost work time and the filing of workers’ compensation claims.
“I knew something was wrong as the number of complaints and injuries reported began to rise,” said Joann Howard, R.D., patient services manager. Complaints were reported as early as 1997 from five dietary employees. Last spring, three employees reported injuries to their shoulders, arms and backs. When totaled, MUSC dietary’s worker compensation claims resulted in a $114,000 pay out.
Each case resonated a complaint of similar injuries attributed to handling food carts and use of dietary’s service elevator. Howard submitted this information to the newly formed Dietetic Services Safety Committee, a safety awareness action group composed of food service employees, which she co-chairs. The group addressed these safety concerns and referred any follow-up action to Wayne Brannan and Will Lowry, risk assessors with University Risk Management.
Lowry led an investigation in response to these claims. A preliminary review identified three possible solutions: modify the service elevator, replace food service carts or allow Dietary Services to have permanent use of service elevators three and four.
Lowry focused his attention on the food carts. First, he discovered that the carts failed to fit properly inside the service elevator cab. Poor measurements were blamed for this. The carts, manufactured by Aladdin, had been exchanged for a larger, bulkier model which accommodates 28 trays (10 more than the previous model).
Shifting to a larger sized cart also meant sacrificed features like control and handling. To compensate, Lowry asked the Physical Plant to resize the cart’s exterior bumpers and refit its wheels. The results failed, thus increasing the staff’s difficulty in handling and maneuvering carts around the hospital. Lowry prepared a cost benefit analysis to replace carts which amounted to $33,000.
Next, Lowry inspected the service elevator. Antiquated in design, the elevator was never renovated during other hospital building updates. It works like a dumb waiter requiring the operator to open and close a heavy horizontal safety gate when used. Closed last year due to claims, service elevators three and four located in the main hospital are now used by employees. These elevators are shared by construction workers, housekeeping and staff, inconveniently located more than 40 yards from the kitchen.
An analysis for upgrading the service elevator to current standards- installing double-swing doors, new wiring and other modifications which totalled nearly $60,000.
Teaming University Risk Management and the Patient Services’ Safety Committee on this dilemma has prompted other positive changes. The department opted to apply certain physical changes to food carts and advocate safe practice issues. Since then, the Physical Therapy department has provided mobility training for patient services employees. Employees are encouraged to wear optional back braces and are guided in the correct methods of pushing, pulling and handling carts.
Howard shares a “watchdog” approach in helping to enforce safe practices by reminding employees and correcting old habits. “Getting employees involved is where awareness begins,” Howard said. The safety committee, which meets monthly, was created in compliance with Sodexho-Marriott Food Services standards.