Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 117 Hazard: ERGONOMIC

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The emp l employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazard s causing or likely to cause serious physical harm to employees, in that empl o to perform tasks involving ergonomic risk factors (including, but not limit e force and awkward postures) resulting in stressors that had caused, were ca u to cause cumulative trauma disorder(s): a) Department 31, Station 13, where one employee was perform- ing packing (operation #:599). The evaluation of this task indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, force applied with fingers, one hand, both hands, one shoulder, both shoulders and by twisting, bending to reach objects, twisting to reach objects, shoulders different levels, reach forward, reach above shoulder, reach overhead, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, abduction, pulp pinch, palm 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 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 599 1. Arrange work space to minimize lifting by avoiding movement of cartons a different levels. For example, if conveyor and carton are suitably aligned t lowered in to carton using gravity assist. 2. Add curve to handle of nozzel of glue gun to avoid wrist deviations. 3. Use automatic rather than manual labeling of carton. 4. Use more than one employee for this operation to increase opportunities f 5. Use directive bar or other mechanism to deliver case from conveyor to op e 6. Provide sit/stand/lean capability to reduce static stress. 7. Provide employee with label gun similar to the one used to mark prices o n stores to reduce torso flexion and reaches. 8. Develop a conveyor that gradually ramps up so the case is higher than th e eliminate the distance the case must be lifted. 9. Suspend the glue gun overhead to reduce wrist deviation. 10. Provide a sloping walking surface where platforms meet. 11. Modify box folding to eliminate the force necessary to open and fold bo x the employee's fist to hit box closed. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"