Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 114 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 31, Station 10 where one employee was perform- ing frame to shell (operation #294), end rivets (operation #200) and install pencil box to top shell (operation #456). The evaluation of these tasks indicates 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 one shoulder, from both shoulders, by twisting and by bending, stooping/bending to fit work space, bending to see work, bending to reach work, bending to reach objects, twisting to see work, stretching to reach objects, reach shoulders forward, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, abduction, pulp pinch, palm pinch, medial grasp and finger press, and pinch and pistol grip which are causing or likely to cause cumulative trauma disorders. The employer did not implement an effec- tive control strategy to reduce or eliminate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991 document a pattern of cumulative trauma disorders associated with this operation. An employee who was exposed to undue repetitive motion trauma, excessive force and awkward finger, hand and arm positions while performing Frame to Shell operations on Line 31 underwent 2 surgical procedures. No second opinion was sought prior to the surgical procedures and the employee worked at the same job position until surgery. There is no evidence that job reassignment or modification, days off work or restricted work activity was used as therapeutic approach for conservative medical treatment to address the CTD problem prior to the surgery. The employee was returned to work at the same position after surgery without modifications of the job duties or the work station and continued to experience symptoms. 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 294 1) Increase work space to reduce congestion. 2) Arrange machinery and work table to avoid retracing steps during the ope r 3) Design press to align and push frame to shell with powered assist (insti t principles as "fit" machine in Department 73). OR 4) Design combination jig and automatic clamping device to eliminate use of shoulder complex while attaching frame to shell. 5) Provide employees with specially designed gloves for this operation with of the hand area to provide cushion, with the fingers removed to facilitate 6) Provide adjustable height work table. 7) Provide fatigue mat or use appropriate footwear. 8) Reduce number of repetetive motions tasks per operator. 9) Provide sit/stand/lean option. 10) Position parts (e.g. lower insert and frame stacks) to reduce reaching. 11) Maintain stack heights below shoulder level. 12) Automate folding of the lining to eliminate forceful exertions and devi a ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 200 1) Provide height and orientation adjustable machines. 2) Provide appropriate footwear or fatigue mat over work space area. 3) Ensure bins of rivet machines are padded and tilted to reduce wrist devi a contact. 4) Increase the number of operators to reduce duration of repetetive motion s 5) Provide mechanical ejector or diverter bar to move cases on and off the c 6) Provide wooden platforms to support the case during operations. 7) Provide sit/stand/lean option to reduce static posture. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 456 1) Provide adjustable work table or fixture to raise the case. 2) Develop a surveillance and preventative maintenance program for torque s e screwdrivers. 3) Provide a vibration dampening handle for the screwdriver. 4) Suspend and counterweight the screwdriver. 5) Increase the number of operators to reduce duration of repetetive motion s 6) Redesign insstallation procedure to make better use of gravity. This wo u low platform and a fixture to support the case, or a lower table and fixtur e 7) Provide sit/stand/lean option to reduce static posture. 8) Provide appropriate footwear or fatigue mat over work space area. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"