ABSTRACT
This case study illustrates a service industry where the cost-benefit analysis showed a clear benefit when an ergonomics intervention was introduced to relieve musculoskeletal injuries.
In the service industries there is a tendency at present to employ people on a ‘precarious’ basis, which has led to reduction in the quality of working conditions and a rise in injury rates (Quinlan et al., 2001). Many companies believe that using contract workers or self-employed workers will relieve them of their responsibility for the care of their workers. Such a view cannot be substantiated ethically, legally or in cost terms.
