The burden of conveyor belt work in the canteen kitchen: A question of working height?

Working in forced postures and standing continuously can be classified as straining the musculoskeletal system.

Since such postures are frequently used in hospital canteen kitchens, we used kinematic analysis to determine the working postures of canteen kitchen staff.

In this study, the daily work routine of 18 (11 w/7 m) workers of a hospital canteen kitchen (Frankfurt Main/Germany) aged 21-62 years (46±13 years) was examined by means of kinematic analysis (CULEA system; IFA; Sankt Augustin/Germany) and a detailed computerized analysis of the activities performed on-site. Angle values of the head and trunk were evaluated in accordance with ergonomic standards and presented using percentile values (P05-P95). The OWAS method was also employed to capture the proportions of standing, walking and sitting work.

The kinematic posture analysis showed for all activities on the conveyor belt a tendency towards a dorsally inclined body position: trunk inclination (-7.5° to 0), thoracic spine inclination or a bending forward (-11.3° to 0°) and curvature of the back within the thoracic spine (-15.2° to 0°). In addition, >90% of the "activities on the belt" (46% of the daily working routine) were carried out standing.

The activities on the conveyor belt were characterized by a tendency towards hyperextension of the trunk, possibly due to a too high working environment. Furthermore, an increased burden on body structures while standing can be concluded. From a primary prevention perspective, this increased standing load should be reduced by behavioral and relational prevention measures.