Project : Field measurement of ergonomic stressors experienced by community-based PSWs

Brief Abstract:

Personal Support Workers (PSWs) perform over 70% of paid home care work. However, they do so at substantial personal cost – community-based PSWs are injured more than twice as frequently as the average worker. To reduce their risk of injuries, we must understand which parts of their work contribute most to the development of pain and injury. Through this project, we will: 1) identify a system that makes field-measurement of ergonomic risk factors feasible on a large scale, and 2) collect pilot data to show what client care activities contribute most to PSWs’ risk of injury to focus future larger-scale projects.

Contact Information:

Emily King
Toronto Rehab Institute, University Health Network
& University of Waterloo
Tel: 416-597-3422 ext. 7952
E-mail: Emily.King@uhn.ca

Affiliated Organizations::

Eco Sober House:  recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.