Prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort, occupational working factors, and work demands amongst food service kitchen workers in Ontario Canada

PurposeWith high rates of reported physical pain/discomfort as well as co-occurrences of pain localization, workers in the food service industry are at a higher risk for musculoskeletal disorder development than many other working populations. The purpose of this paper was to document the prevalence as well as workplace conditions and demands of food service workers in Ontario Canada.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was completed from September 2022 to October 2023. The survey was completed in an online format using Qualtrics software and the sample population consisted of current and past food service workers in Ontario. Responses were counted and presented as percentages of the total respondents.Results108 food service kitchen workers completed the survey. The prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort at any anatomical location was 98.1% with 88.9% reporting discomfort at multiple locations. The prevalence of discomfort at specific anatomical locations was highest for the lower back (68.5%), followed by the feet (65.7%), shoulders (47.2%), neck (43.5%), and mid to upper back (42.6%). Most workers reported not typically taking periodic breaks during their work shift (75.0%), spending most of their time standing at their workstations (77.8%), having not received ergonomic training (50.0%), not exercising regularly (63.0%), and having a medium to high level of task variety for which they are responsible (89.8%) during a shift.ConclusionThe prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort and co-occurrences are high among food service workers in Ontario. The overall working conditions appear to include many risk factors that may help explain this high prevalence.