Bartenders sing the sore-back blues: Study suggests a pub is a pretty dangerous place to work.
Think neighbourhood pub and what comes to mind? The image of friends gathered together to let the worries of the world evaporate in an atmosphere of good cheer?
Turns out the "atmosphere" might actually hide a dangerous workplace in which bartenders and beer-slingers are at risk of injuring their backs and shoulders, according to a University of Alberta study on pub safety published this week.
"This group of people clearly has not been studied or looked after . . . They certainly do the kind of activity that is significantly hazardous," U. of A. Prof. Shrawan Kumar told The Province yesterday.
For bartenders, lifting beer kegs that weigh up to 72 kilograms is the main hazard.
For servers, a drink- and burger-laden tray holds the biggest danger.
"When [servers] carry a tray of beers on their palm, that is a risk [for injuries] in the shoulder and wrists," said Kumar, a professor of physical therapy in the faculty of rehabilitation medicine at the Edmonton institution.
He found that pub culture is part of the problem.
"You sit around wherever you want," he said. "It reduces the spaces in the aisles through which these waitresses must negotiate.
"Lots of times they get injured and . . . do not even relate it to the occupation."
When he began his work, Kumar said he expected to find these problems, but "didn't expect to find the magnitude of these problems. This problem is much greater than we initially thought."
Doing a few isometric exercises to stretch the back and shoulders between tasks isn't enough to ward off such dangers, he added.
"Our bodies are designed to function in a manner like free, untethered . . . animals in nature.
"We were not designed to work for eight hours in uni-dimensional motion," he said.
Pub workers agreed.
"I feel it in my shoulder sometimes," said Smiley O'Neal's bar manager Johnny Laing, who has tended bar in downtown Vancouver for years. "Especially when you're on your feet for a long time. On St. Patrick's Day, we do 16- to 18-hour days."
Bruce McGregor, Smiley's co-owner, said the business attracts hard workers who want to make good tips.
McGregor, who also co-owns Jester's Grill and Tap Room in downtown Vancouver and The Point in Port Moody, is a big fan of ergonomic rubber floormats behind the bar.
They have enough give in them to reduce back injuries and also prevent slips and falls.
McGregor said he values experience when hiring his serving staff.
"They are out there to make money — and the experienced ones can handle the load," said McGregor.
Reprinted with permission. "Bartenders Sing the Sore-Back Blues" by Andy Ivens. The Province. Friday, September 30, 2005.
