"Let's Talk Back": a program to empower laundry workers.
Laundry workers have traditionally been offered little input into the ergonomic and health and safety aspects of their jobs. The "Let's Talk Back" program was developed in response to worker demands, in order to empower them to effectively address some of these concerns. The program, endorsed by the union and administered by a hospital ergonomist, provided formal educational sessions, physical demand analyses, and a forum in which to communicate concerns and suggestions for improvements. Language and/or literacy barriers required innovative educational approaches. Management's reluctance to allow the program to interfere with production schedules hindered the efficiency of the program, but probably contributed to the sense of empowerment in the workforce. Through active participation in ergonomic assessments as well as the educational program, workers were able to demonstrate to management that changes were needed.
Wands
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Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Yassi
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D003256:Community Participation; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods; D007847:Laundry Service, Hospital; D008350:Manitoba; D016272:Occupational Health; D000078329:Workforce