The Ergonomics of Being a Cashier

There can be many ergonomic issues associated with being a "utility bagger," which occur in the "front end" section of the retail store known as K-Mart. This job has many responsibilities and tasks associated with it, many of which could be, and most likely are, considered dangerous from an ergonomic standpoint, if not approached in the correct manor with the correct precautions taken beforehand.

The ergonomics of a certain job or task involve designing the work area to fit the worker, and not changing the worker to fit the work area. Ergonomic factors include, but aren't limited to, factors like your ability to move around when in a certain area, to the lighting in that area (Health and Safety in the Retail Industry). There are many factors that fall into play when discussing the ergonomic aspects of a job task. In this paper, I will evaluate those ergonomic issues, and recommend some changes that should be made for the health and safety of the current and future employees performing that job.

Description of the Job/Activity

There are many jobs associated with being a utility bagger at the front end section of K-Mart. The two main jobs are being a cashier and clearing the parking lot of shopping carts, but there are also other tasks and responsibilities that the employee has to fulfill, if needed. They are re-stocking shelves, helping customers carry large items they have purchased to their vehicles, helping lift heavy items in the back storage area of the store, and helping tidy up shelves or move items back to where they belong if they have been moved elsewhere (Personal Experience).

The cashier station was like a normal setup that you would see in any retail store. The employee would stand facing the belt, which moved from their right to left, as customers would enter from the right. They would unload their items from their shopping cart and put them on the belt to be rung up by the cashier. The laser scanner used to scan bar codes on items was slightly off to the left, with the bagging area immediately to the left of that. K-Mart did not hire extra baggers, so whoever was the cashier, was the bagger also (Personal Experience).

After all the items were rung up, the customer would obviously then pay for them. Depending on the method of payment, the cashier would have to turn in a certain direction. Directly in front of the cashier, between them and the customer was a key-pad and credit card swiper, with a small flat surface also so customers could sign receipts. If they were to pay with cash, however, the cashier would have to pivot to the right, to where the actual cash register and screen were. They would have to make the transaction, get the change and/or receipt, and pivot back to the left to hand them to the customer. Now, even though there are no actual bills or change involved with a credit card transaction, the cashier would still have to pivot to the right to grab the receipt for the customer to sign, and for their copy to keep (Personal Experience).

Clearing shopping carts from the parking lot is another task associated with this job title. The job is relatively self-explanatory. The employee performing the job is required to put on a safety vest with reflectors, go outside, gather up as many carts as he or she can, bring them back inside, put them where they belong, and repeat until the parking lot is clear. This job is not difficult by any means, especially considering you can work at your own pace, just as long as there is a sufficient amount of carts inside for customers (Personal Experience).

While those are the two major job tasks associated with being a utility bagger at K-Mart, there are still other small tasks and responsibilities the employee must fulfill if needed. They are re-stocking shelves, helping customers carry items to their vehicle, move items in the back of the store in the storage area, etc. The majority of those tasks have to do with lifting things. The objects that need lifting can be any shape or size, from small boxes, to extremely large ones where one would need a dolly or cart of some sort to transport the box. The working conditions for these tasks are generally what one would expect them to be. When called upon by a manager to help with a certain task, the employee is required to help. If the box or item is too big to carry, then there were flatbed dollies in the back for that exact purpose. If not, then one or more employees would just carry the box or item (Personal Experience).

Ergonomic Issues and Potential Problems

Being a cashier anywhere is a tedious and monotonous job, and can be dangerous and problematic (from an ergonomic standpoint) no matter where the person is employed, if the correct precautions are not taken.

Here are the ergonomic issues I have observed and experienced associated with being a cashier: leaning and reaching to grab items because they are too far from the cashier, the lack of having something to lean on and put weight on for rest to reduce fatigue, sharp edges, inadequate toe space, keyboard was not adjustable whatsoever, monitor and keyboard were to the side, so employees twist and reach fairly frequently, and the bagging area was off to the left, so there was twisting and reaching associated with that as well (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores and Personal Experience). Injuries that could occur while being a cashier are increased fatigue/stress on extremities, increased biomechanical stress, joint injuries (such as elbow, wrist, hands, etc.), cutting one's self on sharp edges, and back injuries from constant twisting and reaching (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores).

The next task is gathering shopping carts out in the parking lot and bringing them back into the store. Here are the ergonomic issues I have observed and experienced associated with clearing the parking lot of shopping carts: lack of a powered tug to help move carts, causing the employee to only gather up as many carts as he or she can push at one time, constant use of the joint in the arms, such as the wrist, elbow and shoulder, straining on the back from constantly pushing carts, and stress and fatigue on the legs (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores and Personal Experience). Injuries that could occur while gathering up carts are increased fatigue, stress, and straining of the back, legs, hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores).

The final tasks, mainly consisting of lifting heavy objects, contain the following ergonomic issues: lifting an object that is too heavy and may cause injury, lifting an object incorrectly, reaching too high or too far for a heavy object, lifting boxes with no handles, and lifting boxes in an area where there is not enough room (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores and Personal Experience). Injuries that may occur when performing these job tasks are increased fatigue, stress, and straining of the back, arms, shoulders, legs, wrists, and elbows, heavy objects falling on someone, and someone falling from a height trying to reach an object (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores).

Method Used to Evaluate the Issues

The methods I used to evaluate these ergonomic issues are observations and personal experience. I performed all of these tasks regularly for a few months at one point in time. While I do not work there anymore, I have gone to K-Mart recently and observed these job tasks being performed.

Recommendations and Justification for Corrective Action

Recommendations for the job task of cashier are as follows: use a powered conveyor belt to bring the items to the cashier, instead of them having to stretch and reach for them, use an object known as a sweeper to basically funnel the items closer to the cashier, smooth out or round off all sharp edges, use footrests and/or anti-fatigue mats, use adjustable keyboards and monitors, and move shopping carts closer to the cashier to prevent reaching and twisting (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores).

Recommendations for the job task of clearing the parking lot of shopping carts are as follows: use a powered tug to aid in gathering carts, stretch frequently, keeping muscles loose to prevent muscular injuries, and knowing that this is your job, exercise regularly so that you can keep up with the workload (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores).

Recommendations for the job task of lifting heavy objects are as follows: use correct lifting techniques, use dollies whenever and wherever possible, and don't lift more than you can handle (OSHA Guideline for Retail Grocery Stores and Helander).

Conclusion

Looking back on the subject at hand, there are many ergonomic issues associated with practically every job. Being a cashier can actually be a more dangerous job, from an ergonomic standpoint, than gathering carts in a parking lot around busy traffic, if correct action is not taken. The employee and employer need to take certain precautions, take certain steps, and approach the in the correct manor to prevent serious injuries from occurring.

Bibliography

"Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores; Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders; Front End". OSHA. .

"Health and Safety in the Retail Industry". Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). .

Helander, Martin. A Guide to Human Factors and Ergonomics. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis, 2006.

Nash, James. "OSHA Releases Voluntary Ergonomic Guidelines for Retail Grocers". EHS Today. .