Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

What Results Should You Expect When Cleaning Is Genuinely Ergonomic?

  • By Jacalyn High
  • 10/01/16

The word ergonomic gets used abundantly in regard to cleaning, but that is because the primary resource in cleaning is manual labor. When you’re working with manual labor, good ergonomics have the potential to transform just about every aspect of the work with safer, more intuitive processes and tools. Put simply, for something to be ergonomic, it must be efficient and people-friendly. That can apply to every cleaning task from vacuuming the carpet to dusting the light fixtures.

That said, there is a difference between transformative ergonomics and superficial ergonomics. An example of superficial ergonomics would be to take a heavy and unwieldy tool and put a more comfortable handle grip on it. The hand might be more comfortable, but the task is still difficult to perform. Transformative ergonomics in cleaning could come from a drastic rethinking of how a task is done or from a slight tweak, but the improvements in your cleaning program should be undeniable if you are tracking key information.

When considering a switch to a new ergonomic approach, conduct your own in-house study to compare your existing method with the new ergonomic method. First, work with a cleaner on how to use new equipment or follow a new process properly. Then time how long it takes the cleaner to do the same task in the same space with both methods, and document the quality of the results. Afterwards, give cleaners a questionnaire about how intuitive the new method is and their physical comfort doing the task. After tracking these factors, the benefits of ergonomic methods should become apparent.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Jacalyn High is director of Marketing for ProTeam Vacuums. She can be reached at 866/888-2168 or through proteam.emerson.com.

Featured

  • ZeroEyes, Academic Innovators Partner to Provide Safety Solutions

    ZeroEyes, which produces a multi-analytics weapons detection and threat intelligence platform, recently announced a partnership with Academic Innovators, according to a news release.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.