the study and Tork Easy Handling here - SCA

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The European Cleaning Industry – A Sector with Challenges Despite being a prosperous and flourishing sector, the cleaning industry has some substantial challenges. Cleaners work in exposed environments and since the cleaning industry is a highly labor-intensive sector – approximately 75 percent of the cleaning companies’ total costs are labor costs 2 – the well-being of the employees is vital to the industry. Therefore, it is troubling that the cleaners are affected by working environment problems to a greater degree than most occupations. Due to the lack of official statistics on a European level, it is hard to reach conclusions about the exact numbers of work-related health problems and sick leave in the European cleaning industry as a whole. However, it is possible to give a rough picture by looking at statistics from individual countries. In Germany, cleaners have an average of 24–27 paid sick days annually. This is four to five times higher than for occupations such as scientists, lawyers, and engineers, and 50 percent higher than the German average. 3 The corresponding number in Sweden is 13 paid sick days. 4 Swedish female cleaners have twice as many reported work-related diseases as the average for all employed women, and it is the occupation with the third highest rate. 5 In Sweden, cleaners have the highest rates of long-term sick leave (>90 days). 6 Musculoskeletal disorders – a major problem among cleaners One of the biggest problems among cleaners, and a major reason for the high number of days lost due to sickness, is musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs); that is, injuries or pain in areas such as the back, neck, knees, or wrists. MSDs are the single largest cause of sick-leave in Europe, and research has shown that cleaners are particularly exposed to risks of MSDs. Some studies have indicated that as many as three out of four cleaners suffer from muscular pains. 7 So, why are cleaners at such a high risk of suffering from MSDs? Part of the problem is the tasks and the postures included in the cleaning work. The risk of MSDs increases with heavy lifting, carrying, repetitive movements, twisting, etc., all of which are common for cleaners. 8 However, research has also shown that much of the cleaning equipment and the products that cleaners use are not ergonomically optimal. 9 2 European Federation of Cleaning Industries, http://www.feni.be/index.php?id=18. 3 World Health Organization, 2010, “The Case for Paid Sick Leave”, p. 14. 4 Swedish Social Insurance Agency, 2010, “Social Insurance Report 2010:17”, p. 30. 5 Swedish Environmental Research Institute, 2009, “Belastningar i städyrket – vilka är de och hur kan belastningen minskas?”, p. 7. 6 http://www.alltomstad.se/fakta-for-branschen/arbetsskador.aspx 7 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2009, “The Occupational Safety and Health of Cleaning Workers”, p.12, 59–60. 8 Kumar & Kumar, 2008, “Musculoskeletal risk factors in cleaning occupation – A litterature review”, p. 159. 9 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2009, “The Occupational Safety and Health of Cleaning Workers”, p. 33.
The Observational Study – An Example of How to Incorporate a Caring Dimension into Product Development As a major supplier of products to the cleaning industry, Tork wanted to investigate how it could help make cleaners’ work easier and more convenient when handling deliveries, products, and solutions. Tork carried out an observational study in order to gain a deeper understanding of what a cleaning worker’s day looks like and how Tork products are a part of this. A cleaning worker’s day consists of several tasks, one of which is refilling hygiene products, such as paper towels, toilet paper, and soap. The products arrive in packages, the handling of which is an important part of the working day of a cleaning worker. Package handling in a day of a cleaning worker Every week, Europe’s cleaning workers handle almost one million packages filled with Tork hygiene products. These packages have to be received, transported within the building, stored, carried, opened, disposed of, and recycled. The packages are either in form of boxes or packed in plastic materials. The observational study sought to identify where improvements could be made regarding the cleaning workers’ handling of packages. This study was conducted over a period of four months and included cleaning workers and customers from different sectors and from four countries (Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Sweden). The main part of the study consisted of observing how the cleaning workers were handling packages at work in order to identify situations where improvements could be made. These observations were conducted by walking beside the cleaning workers as they carried out their work. Interviews with the cleaners were then conducted to enable the cleaners to give their views. By following the cleaning workers from the point at which the packages arrive to the point at which the empty packages are disposed of, a typical handling process emerged. Most companies have a central storage for their goods (first storage) and several small storage rooms throughout the company (second storages). A detailed description of the process can be seen in Figure 2 on the next page. Facts about the observation study • Twenty companies (customers and end-customers) in four sectors were visited – Industry – HoReCa – Healthcare – Commercial (Public washrooms) • Companies from Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Sweden were included. • The study consisted of: – Two hours of observations of each cleaner – One-hour interviews with the cleaners
Page 1 and 2: Results from observational studies
Page 3: The European Cleaning Industry - A
Page 7 and 8: 2. Opening The second opportunity f
Page 9 and 10: Conclusions The European cleaning i

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