Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 092 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 serious physical harm to employees, in that employees were required to perform tasks involving ergonomic risk factors (including, but not limited to, repetitive motions, force and awkward postures) resulting in stressors that had caused, were causing, or were likely to cause cumulative trauma disorder(s): (a) Department 17, Station 10 where one employee was per- forming rail riveting(operation #532), drill for ribbon hooks and backdrill pocket snaps (operation #'s 417/219) and assembling handles (operation #642). The evaluation of these tasks indicate that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, hands exposed to water/agent (vibration), force applied with fingers, with one hand, with both hands, from both shoulders, by bending and by twisting, stooping/bending to fit work space, work space constrains worker movement, bending to see work, bending to reach work, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, stretching to reach work, shoulders different levels, shoulders reached behind body, shoulder reach forward, reach above shoulder, reach overhead, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, pulp pinch, palm pinch, medial grasp and finger press, and pinch and closed fist grip which are causing or likely to cause cumulative trauma disorders. The employer did not implement an effective control strategy to reduce or eliminate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1989, 1990, 1991 document a pattern of cumulative trauma disorders associated with this operation. While ultimate responsibility for correcting the hazard rests with the employer, given his superior knowledge of the operation, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this hazard include, but are not limited to, the following: ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 532 1) Increase work space to reduce congestion. 2) Redesign rail riveting machine for automatic operation. 3) Reorient shell to horizontal and gluing process in place of rivet machine. Rail could be pre-formed. 4) Increase rest opportunities eg. by increasing the number of operators performing this task. 5) Reorient parts distribution to avoid backward reaching for rail. 6) Provide sit/stand/lean option. 7) Reorient rivet machine to be operated at approximately a 30 degree angle to allow employee to rest the case on their shoulder, eliminating holding the case above shoulder height. 8) Provide adjustable height and orientation rivet machine. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 642 1) Reduce number of tasks to increase rest time. 2) Increase number of workers performing the task. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 417/219 1) Place an adjustable stand between the riveter and the conveyor belt where the case can be placed for drilling to eliminate twisting and bending. 2) Provide a pistol-grip drill to eliminate wrist deviation. OR 3) Perform drilling vertically with case support shelf and the tool counter-weighted and suspended. 4) Provide a tool with non-slip, vibration absorbing casing with air exhaust away from the hand. 5) Provide more workstation space for safety and ease of movement. 6) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 7) Increase number of operators performing the task. 8) Perform drilling operations off the line with a mechanical ejector to move cases on and off the line to eliminate forceful exertions. 9) Provide sit/stand/lean option to reduce static posture. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"