Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 097 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 15 where one employee was per- forming riveting of trolley/ribbon hooks (operation #562/419) and riveting the apron (operation #531). The evaluation of these tasks indicate that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wr- ist contact with sharp edges, force applied with fingers, with one hand, with both hands and from both shoulders, work space constrains worker movements, bending to reach objects, twisting to reach work, twisting to reach objects, stretch- ing to reach objects, shoulder reach forward, reach above shoulder, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist flexion, extension, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, palm pinch abduction, lateral pinch and finger press, and pinch grip which are causing or likely to cause cumulative trauma disorders. The employer did not implement an effective control strategy to reduce or elimin- ate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1988, 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 562/419 1) Provide sit/stand/lean option. 2) Provide even fatigue mats. 3) Use suitable, shock absorbing footwear. 4) Provide support frames for the machines to hold the case during operations. 5) Provide orientation and height adjustable machines. 6) Install a permanent bin for the left side of the trolley rivet machine. 7) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 8) Increase number of operators performing the task. 9) Develop mechanical ejector or diverter bar to move cases on and off conveyor to eliminate forceful exertion. 10) Develop an autofeed device for the rivet machine. 11) Tilt and pad right bin of trolley rivet machine to reduce reaches and eliminate awkward positions. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 531 1) Increase working space for safety and convenience. 2) Provide orientation and height adjustable machines. 3) Provide movable fixtures and work surfaces. 4) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 5) Increase number of operators performing the task. 6) Design a movable fixture to support the shell during riveting. 7) Provide sit/stand/lean option. 8) Rearrange the equipment so the shell can be placed in an area between the riveting machines in close proximity to the supply of aprons to reduce the amount of twisting, lifting, and reaching. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"