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

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 phyical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to risk of musculoskeletal injuries such as muscle strain and back injury from lifting tasks without the use of administrative or engineering controls: The injury and illness records for 1990 indicated a history or musculoskeletal injuries. A) Tile Making Area - Employee mixing ingredients for tiles was lifting 94-pound bags of cement from pallet on floor on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative and engineering controls. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, some feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this hazard are: Use smaller bags, mechanical lifting device, or two man-lifts and employee training. B) Residential Heat Exchanger Area - Employee doing the expanding operation on heat exchangers was lifting cast iron end pieces. weighing 27 pounds for JV 160 unit. The castings were being picked from a row on a pallet at ground level on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk or musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or engineering controls. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to place the pallet on an adjustable lifting device so employee can pick up casting wihtout having to bend over to reach. C) Residential Heat Exchange Area - Employee doing the expanding operation on heat exchangrs was lifting a JV 160 unit weighing 78 pounds out of a jig and setting on a table on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or enginering controls. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting device or two-man lift. D) Machining Area - Employee operating NATCO and STANKO drill presses was lifting cast iron end pieces for JV heat exchangers weighing 27 pounds. The castings were being picked from a row on a pallet at ground level on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or engineering controls. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to place the pallet on an adjustable lifting device so that the employee can pick up and replace casting without having to bend over to reach. E) JV Line, Packing - Two employees were lifting finished JVT 125 units from a conveyor line, stacking them on the floor on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or engineering controls. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting device. F) JV Assembly Area - Employee was lifting JV 125 heat exchangers weighing 70 pounds off the floor and setting them on the assembly line on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or engineering contols. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement mehtod to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting device or two-man lift. G) residential Heat Exchanger Area - Two employees assembling heat exchangers were lifting JV 160 units weighing 78 pounds off the table and placing them on pallets on the floor on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and requies administrative or engineering controls. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting device or two-man lift. STEP 1- Effective administrative protection, such as employee training, physical assessment, job rotation, etc., shall be provided as an interim protective measure until feasible engineering or administrative controls can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to nominal risk. STEP 1- Effective administrative protection, such as employee training, physical assessment, job rotation, etc., shall be provided as an interim protective measure until feasible engineering or administrative controls can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to nominal risk. Minimum requirements for employee training include: (1) Risks of lifting. (2) Lifting biomechanics. (3) Musculoskeletal considerations. (4) Individual self-risk assemement. (5) Handling skills-posture, movement, and timing. (6) Handling aids. (7) Avoiding the unexpected. STEP 2- Submit to the Area Director a written, detailed plan of abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering or administrative measures to control employee injury due to manual lifting tasks. Engineering controls to reduce musculoskeletal stresses include, but are not limited to, job redesign, reduction of the horizontal and vertical load distance from the body, reduction of the lifting frequency, or weight, use of mechanical lifting aids, and use of two person lifts. This plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions which must be consistent with the dates required by this citation. 1) Evaluation of the conditions, locations and manual lifting activities that the employees are performing at the onset of musculoskeletal injuries. 2) Evaluation of applicable control measures. 3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected contols measures. 4) Monitoring to assure effective utilization of the control measures. STEP 3- Abatement shall have been completed by implementation of feasible engineering or administrative controls, upon verification of their effectivenss in reducing the occurenece of musculoskeletal injuries.