Interim Meeting of the Project “Cleaning Ergonomics – to Prevent Occupational Diseases and Accidents” in Budapest

Do you know how to ergonomically clean a floor or a table? We are currently developing training videos within the international Erasmus+ project “Cleaning Ergonomics – to Prevent Occupational Diseases and Accidents” to teach the ergonomics of 20 cleaning activities. As part of this, we met with project partners in Budapest from September 25-27. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and physically demonstrate cleaning ergonomics activities from different countries. We learned a lot from each other, as cleaning and ergonomics principles vary by country.

Key takeaways from Budapest:

• What is more important – a highly ergonomic activity or dirt removal? Very often, these two concepts are contradictory, as dirt removal (e.g., scrubbing sediment or removing a stain) requires physical effort. If an activity is performed very ergonomically, we protect our bodies, but in doing so, we remove less dirt.
• Cleaning activity = dirt removal! This idea seems very logical, but in real life, it requires a very conscious approach. In Budapest, we conducted several experiments where we demonstrated that by moving a cleaning cloth back and forth, we don’t actually remove dirt but merely move it from one spot to another on the surface. With our partners, we developed a method for wiping dirt from a surface in a way that is ergonomic, minimizes strain on the body, and effectively removes dirt.
• Cleaning ergonomics is not just about physical movements but also mental health. A study conducted in Finland revealed that cleaners identified high workload, caused by constant rushing during cleaning, as the biggest reason for occupational accidents. Therefore, in developing the ergonomics training videos, we are emphasizing the issues of rushing and heavy workload. Again, it seems very logical that accidents happen when rushing, but in reality, this often goes unnoticed.

The training videos discussed in Budapest will be completed by the end of this year (2023), and we will then be able to share them publicly.