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: In Residential and System Sensor Department including, but not limited to 4185, 4180, 4181, 4103, 4115, 4108, and 4105: Workers were observed sitting at workstations that caused static muscle strain to backs, necks, shoulders, and arms. These strains can be expected to result in muscle and joint injuries that cause reduced dexterity and mobility. The hazards can be eliminated by an abatement program that includes, but is not limited to: 1) ESTABLISH WORKSTATION(S) THAT REDUCE STATIC STRESSORS: For workers performing delicate tasks, the perferred eye-to-work distance is 12 inches. The recommended work posture is: (a) back and neck erect, (b) the weight at the torso, (c) head entered over the spinal column. Providing fixtures for work pieces and/or slanting the workstation's table at an angle of 15 degrees can place delicate work at optimum position. 2) PROVIDE WORKSTATIONS THAT ALLOW SUFFICIENT SPACE FOR THE WORKER: Work tables provided should allow sufficient space underneath the table(s) so that the worker can position his/her feet and legs under the table(s). When a solid vertical wall or surface is located in front of the work table, an attachable work table that is 16 inches front-to-back, immediately at the center of the workstation, should be provided. The work table should be provided with a curved forward shape for elbow support. The wrist-width may vary for larger or smaller workers, but a width of 14 inches is suggested with a front-to-back elbow support width of 24 inches. The edge of the table where the worker rests his/her arm(s) should be rounded. 3) PROVIDE CHAIRS WHICH CAN BE EASILY ADJUSTED BY THE WORKER: Provide easily-adjustable chairs that provide ergonomically proper support for the seated worker. Features should include the following: a) Waterfall forward slope of the front edge of the seat; b) Back rests that are height adjustable and that provide support in the lumbar area (to assure that the lower truck-spine are in a reverse arch shape), and c) Adjustable seat heights (to allow positioning of the workers' elbows on the work tables, regardless of worker's standing height). 4) PROVIDE ADJUSTABLE FOOT RESTS: Provide foot rests with adjustable heights to allow the worker to place his/her feet on a solid, slanted surface. The foot rests should allow the worker to remove weight and body bearing stresses from the backs of their thighs where they come into contact with the bottom(s) of the seat(s). 5) PROVIDE ARM-SUPPORTED MAGNIFYING LENSES: Where workers perform visual inspection of PC boards, arm-supported magnifying lenses should be provided so that the employee can inspect the parts with erect body positions and with minimal eye strain. 6) PROVIDE MACHINE CONTROLS AND WORKSTATIONS THAT REDUCE STATIC STRESSORS: Where worker(s) operate machines from a seated position, position the machine control(s) and worker height(s) in accordance with item(s) 1 and 2 of this section. 7) PROVIDE WORKSTATION AREA(S) FOR MATERIAL HANDLING: Space for materials-handling, on either side of the workstation(s), should be provided at essentially the same workstation height. In Department 4185, workers were subject to Cumulative Trauma disorders (CTD) (including: tendonitis, tenosynovitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome) when they manually inserted components into PC boards. The work observed was highly repetitive. Worker(s) were generally assigned to place three (3) components into the PC boards. Workers handled components by using their fingers in a pinch grip. The PC boards were mounted on a moving conveyor that was estimated to be 15 to 19 inches in front of the worker. The work required both highly repetitive motion and static-loading of workers' arms, back, shoulder and neck muscles. The hazards can be eliminated by an abatement program that includes, but is not limited to: 1) PROVIDE WORKSTATIONS THAT REDUCE STATIC MUSCLE STRESSORS: (See instance a.) 2) PROVIDE FIXTURES AT WORKSTATIONS. Provide workstations fixture(s) to hold the PC board(s) into place as the employee installs the component part(s). The fixture should position the PC board directly, and at a distance of six inches, in front of the worker. 3) PROVIDE PARTS-INSERTION TOOLS. Component part(s) were selected from an unordered array. Worker(s) manually select part(s) to be inserted into the PC board(s). Using insertion tool(s) would reduce part(s) handling by the worker. The parts-insertion tool should allow the worker to grasp the tool with the hand and wrist in a neutral position. The tool handle should be sized so that the fingers can grip it wihtout any overlap with the palm. 4) INVESTIGATE THE CONCEPT OF JOB ENRICHMENT: Worker are significantly less susceptible to repetitive motion disease when the cycle of work being performed is 30 seconds or greater. The cycle time for assembly line workers in department 4185 was calculated to be from 11 to 14 seconds. Job enrichment would include increasing the job cycle time to more than 30 seconds. This could be done by allowing the assembly worker to insert a larger number of component part(s) into the PC board(s).