Abstract
This paper addresses a significant gap in the literature by describing a study that tests the feasibility and efficacy of an organizational intervention to improve working conditions, safety, and wellbeing for low-wage food service workers. The Workplace Organizational Health Study tests the hypothesis that an intervention targeting the work organization and environment will result in improvements in workers’ musculoskeletal disorders and wellbeing. This ongoing study is being conducted in collaboration with a large food service company. Formative evaluation was used to prioritize outcomes, assess working conditions, and define essential intervention elements. The theory-driven intervention is being evaluated in a proof-of-concept trial, conducted to demonstrate feasibility and potential efficacy using a cluster randomized design. Ten worksites were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. The 13-month intervention uses a comprehensive systems approach to improve workplace policies and practices. Using principles of participatory engagement, the intervention targets safety and ergonomics; work intensity; and job enrichment. The evaluation will provide a preliminary assessment of estimates of the intervention effect on targeted outcomes and inform understanding of the intervention implementation across worksites. This study is expected to provide insights on methods to improve working conditions in support of the safety and wellbeing of low-wage workers.
Highlights
IntroductionDefined as work that earns two-thirds or less of the national median gross hourly earnings [4], the prevalence of low-wage work varies by country and is on the rise, notably in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S [5,6]
Low-wage workers are often employed in jobs that pose significant health and safety risks [1,2,3].Defined as work that earns two-thirds or less of the national median gross hourly earnings [4], the prevalence of low-wage work varies by country and is on the rise, notably in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S [5,6]
This paper describes an organizational intervention designed to improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of food service workers, and has implications for the health and wellbeing of low-wage workers in other industries
Summary
Defined as work that earns two-thirds or less of the national median gross hourly earnings [4], the prevalence of low-wage work varies by country and is on the rise, notably in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S [5,6]. Women, young workers, those with low levels of education, and immigrants are overrepresented in these jobs [4,7,8,9,10]. Public Health 2019, 16, 1449; doi:10.3390/ijerph16081449 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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