Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: ERGONOMIC

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to: At Cooper Engineered Products, where employees, engaged in the production of molded rubber automotive parts, involving job activities such as but not limited to hand finishing, seating component production/finishing, and molding press operations, were exposed to biomechanical stress to the hands, wrist, arms, shoulders and back, resulting in musculo- skeletal disorders. These disorders included but were not limited to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), tendinitis, and muscular strains. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct the hazard(s) include the following: (a) Implementation of a comprehensive ergonomics program which involves production employees serving on a regular or rotational basis as committee members. The program could devise a comprehensive strategy to address the ergonomics problem, institute changes, and track those changes to verify success. See Item (i) below for additional possibilities on tracking. (b) Do job and stress factor analysis to isolate and quantify the types and numbers of associated trauma and the root causes. Various job activities could be video taped and analyzed with respect to range of motion, body position, reach distances, and frequency of motion. (c) Provide continuing education for all employees in regard to cumulative stress disorders, and ensure employees are following workpractice guidelines. Training should include signs and symptoms of ergonomically related disorders, and a basic understanding of wrist/hand position whould be discussed. Basic definitions of carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinities, and muscular sprains should provided. Prevention and treatment of these disorders should be discussed. Proper lifting techniques should be discussed and demonstrated. Employees should practice these techniques prior to initial job assign- ment. Monitoring of employees, especially during pro- bationary periods should be performed, combined with continued on the job training. (d) Do a systematic workstation/platform analysis, and redesign workstations/platforms as appropriate. Ensure that the workpieces are within the employees reach range, and alter workpractices as necessary to provide comfortable and ergonomically correct reach distances. If necessary, build mock workstations to test the effec- tiveness of new designs. (e) Provide adjustable work platforms for employees who stand during job operations. In addition, provide adjustable seating and footrest for seated employees. Refer to ANSI guidelines on ergonomically designed seating. (f) Provide antifatigue mats or footwear for standing employuees. (g) Determine if the cotton gloves used throughout the facility are appropriate for all operations, especially those involving hand dexterity, (such as valve stem insertion in the seating components department). Substitute or eliminate gloves that increase bio- mechanical stress to the hands. (h) Provide a program of continued on the job exercises at several times throughout the workshift. Instruct and encourage employees to perform these exercises at home. (i) Incorporate additional recordkeeping practices which enhance the information recorded on the OSHA 200 logs. Record ergonomically related injuries/illnesses on an additional separate log to aid in statistical analysis and discussion during committee meetings. If possible, set up a computer tracking system. (j) Test the use of ergonomically designed tools at all workstations where hand finishing is performed. Make the use of these tools mandatory if a benefit exist. (k) Reduce the total nember of pieces each employee is required to produce. Provide more frequent breaks during the workshift. The highest number of musculoskeletal/cumulative trauma disorders were reported in department 5539, hand finishing. Departments 5548, seating components, and 5541 and 5531, conventional finishing, had the next highest numbers of disorders. The majority of disorders were reported in those four departments, over a three year period from 1988 to 1990. The employer is not limited to abatement methods suggested by OSHA; i.e., methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases. Other methods of abatement may be equally or more appropriate. Ultimate responsibility for determining the most appropriate abatement method rests with the employer, given its superior knowledge of the specific conditions on its worksite.