Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 124 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 72, Station 6 where one employee was performing rivet hinges and rivet skid plate (operation #519/376). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, force applied with one hand and with both hands, bending to see work, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, shoulder reach forward, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push and palm pinch, 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 1988, 1989, 1990 and 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 519/376 1) Install support platforms on machines. 2) Pad and tilt skid plate rivet machine bins. 3) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 4) Provide mechanical ejector to move cases on and off conveyor and eliminate forceful exertions. 5) Provide wooden platforms to support case during riveting operations and reduce forceful exertions. 6) Use an autofeed device for the rivet machine. 7) Provide sit/stand/lean option. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"