Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 126 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 7 where one employee was performing lining installation to the top and bottom shells (operation #433/652). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: re- petition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, force applied with fingers, with one hand, by bending and by twisting, bending to reach work, bending to reach objects, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, stretching to reach work, reach shoulders forward, elbow extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation and ulnar deviation, 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, 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 433/652 1) Provide a sit/stand/lean option to eliminate prolonged static posture. 2) Provide a fully adjustable work surface in both height and angle to eliminate wrist deviation. 3) Provide a mechanical ejector or diverter bar to move cases on and off conveyor. 4) Design hand held tool to press lining to case which allows for power grip rather than pinch grip and eliminates wrist deviation. 5) Provide regular rest breaks. 6) Expand range of tasks to vary muscular activity. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"