Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 116 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 12 where one employee was perform- ing inspection and repair of case (operation #595). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wrist exposed to agents (vibration, hammering), force applied with one hand, with both hands, from one shoulder, from both shoulders and by twisting, work space constrainis worker movements, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, shoulders different levels, reach above shoulders, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, abduction, lateral pinch, and medial grasp, and closed fist grip 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 eliminate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1990 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 final inspection and fit operations on Line 31 underwent a surgical procedure. No second opinion was sought prior to the surgical procedure and the employee work at the same job position until surgery. There was no evidence that job reassignment or modification, days off work or restricted work activity was used as a therapeutic approach for conservative medical treatment to address the CTD problem prior to the surgery. 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 595 1) Use adjustable work stations. 2) Suspend and counter-weight drill and screwdriver. 3) Provide vibration dampening pad on power tool handles. 4) Provide lighter weight pop-rivet gun or suspend and counter-weight the present gun to eliminate forceful exertion. 5) Use more workers to provide greater rest break opportunities to eliminate duration and repetition strain on the worker. 6) Use sit/stand/lean option to eliminate static posture. 7) Use "lazy susan" tray to support shell on work station to reduce need for wrist deviations in handling shell and reduce reaches in the work station. 8) Install "fit" machine to eliminate the need to use the hammer (as is used in Dept. 13). 9) Provide a mechanical ejector to move shells on and off the conveyor to eliminate forceful exertions. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"