Development of an Ergonomic Waste Container for Hospitals

Abstract

The current waste container design at most hospitals, including the UC Davis Medical Center, requires an individual to raise the garbage bag up and out of the container, which involves shoulder flexion above the head and flexion at the waist for most individuals. Overuse injuries due to lifting are very common to the muscles of the shoulder and result in high costs for treating injured workers. The aim of this study was to design a new waste container that will limit the amount of shoulder and trunk flexion required to remove the garbage bags from the container. A waste container was developed, which rotates about two pins on each side to 30 and 45 degree angles from the upright position so that the bags can be removed without lifting them over your head. The degree of shoulder and trunk flexion for the new and old waste container was measured using electrogoniometers. The most important result was that the average degree of shoulder abduction decreased by about 9 degrees from the new bin at 30 degrees and 10 degrees to the new bin at 45 degrees. There also was a significant reduction in sagittal flexion between the old bin and the new bin. The reduction in the level of shoulder abduction and sagittal flexion with this new design may reduce the incidence of injury and improve working conditions for custodial staff in hospital environments.