St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC
Campbell River Hospital, Campbell River, BC

The focus of this project was to assess the impact of a bagless laundry system on the risk of musculoskeletal injury (MSI) to laundry staff. The project also examined the cost-benefit of putting a bagless laundry system in place. The system consists of tote bins (plastic bins with lids and wheels) and a mechanical lifter, and was evaluated at St. Paul's Hospital and Campbell River Hospital. The purpose of the bagless laundry system is to eliminate the need to manually lift and carry linen bags. Trials of the bagless laundry system were initiated in June 2001 at St. Paul's Hospital and November 2001 at Campbell River Hospital. Hospital-wide implementation occurred at St. Paul's Hospital in January 2002 and at Campbell River Hospital in July 2002.

Initial results from the initial 8-week trial of the system at Campbell River Hospital revealed that there were implementation barriers to using the bagless laundry system. These barriers were resolved through consultation with Occupational Health and Safety committee members and with workers. Subsequently, involved parties developed tips for successful implementation.

Based on the information gathered during the 8-week trial at Campbell River Hospital, it was determined that some effective strategies for implementing the bagless laundry system include:

1. Pilot testing on one or two units.
2. Ongoing involvement and communication between all departments.
3. Consultation with OH&S committee and workers.
4. Development of policies and safe work procedures.

One year after the bagless laundry was put into place, analysis of pre- and post-intervention questionnaire responses from St. Paul's and Campbell River Hospital revealed a significant reduction in workers' perceived physical discomfort and risk of injury. There were zero injuries during this time period at both sites.

There was no additional manpower required for the new system at either site.

The new laundry system was successful at reducing perceived discomfort, risk of injury, and injury claims costs at both sites. This can be attributed to the elimination of manual lifting and carrying of linen bags. A conservative estimate of the cost effectiveness of the system was calculated based on cost savings as a result of the elimination of laundry handling injuries and laundering cloth linen bags. A payback period of approximately 1.3 years was calculated for both sites. The total savings due to the elimination of laundering alone was approximately 75% of the total cost savings at each site, with a payback period of approximately 1.75 years.

Related Resources
Final Report:	Bagless Laundry System Final Report (573 kb, 18 pgs)	Download
Project Update:	Bagless Laundry System Effective in Reducing Injury in Two Healthcare Facilities (200 kb, 2 pgs)	Download
OSHTips:	Successful Implementation of a Bagless Laundry System (56 kb, 2 pgs)	Download
Download Adobe Reader from www.adobe.com to view the files above.