Study on Correlation Between Hotel Cleaners’ Musculoskeletal Pain and Cleaning Pose by RULA (Upper Limb Assessment) and MSDs Checklist: Using Hot Spring Hotels and Motels in Taiwan as Examples

ABSTRACT

Information of hotel cleaners’ musculoskeletal pain can be acquired by subjective survey on patients. The ultrasonic waves and X-ray examination can reveal the parts of muscular trauma, bones and joints, and fracture. Medical instruments can recognize the situation musculoskeletal pain and related treatment and recovery will be offered. However, after pain is relieved, hotel cleaners often experience musculoskeletal pain again. Hot Spring Hotels and Motels in employment caused by the cleaners will reduce the manpower supply shortage, the impact of manpower supply chain management (SCM) performance.Hence, it is necessary to find the causes of their musculoskeletal pain. Does cleaning pose cause hotel cleaners’ musculoskeletal pain? It is an important research topic. Hence, this study probed into the correlation among hotel cleaners’ working pose, force and musculoskeletal pain by RULA (Upper Limb Assessment). The MSDs Checklist revealed the risk factors of cleaning as the reference for medical personnel’s diagnosis and treatment. This study treated hot spring hotel and motel cleaners as the subjects. According to the results, based on the correlation between hotel cleaners’ musculoskeletal discomfort and RULA, subjective discomfort of neck, body and upper arm is significantly related to score of RULA. A comparison of hot spring hotel and motel cleaners’ work situations showed that when cleaning hot spring pools and bathtubs, the scores of different poses in RULA vary significantly. This is due to different designs of hot spring pools of hot spring hotels and Jacuzzis of motels. The cleaners may easily have musculoskeletal discomfort due to excessive force and bad poses. This study suggests using long brushes to improve bad poses and excessive force. According to the analytical result of MSDs, regarding raising mattress and changing bed sheet and bedspread, compared to hot spring hotels, motels are more dangerous. Regarding cleaning of bathtubs and hot spring pools, hot spring hotels are more dangerous than motels. The findings of this study can serve as reference for hotels to improve work process or for medical personnel to enhance diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords:

Hot spring hotel and motel cleaners, MSDs checklist, musculoskeletal pain, rapid upper limb assessment (RULA), supply chain management (SCM).