Fitted vs Flat: Housekeepers at Boston hotel celebrate safe bed making practices

loews-outside-2014Housekeepers at the Loews Boston Hotel are celebrating an agreement with the Back Bay hotel that will protect housekeepers’ bodies from pain and injury. The hotel brought in new mattresses to keep to industry standards, but heavier mattresses were a concern to housekeepers who have to lift them an estimated 150 times a day.

After experiencing back pain, they noticed that they were reporting more pain than previously. Housekeepers organized and bargained with the hotel, which agreed to change bed linens from flat to fitted sheets, provide tools, and to modify the procedures for tucking sheets under the heavy mattresses.