Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 138 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 16, 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, by bending and by twisting, stooping/bending to fit work space, work space constrains worker movement, bending to reach objects, twist- ing to reach objects, shoulders different levels, reach behind body, reach forward, reach above shoulder, reach overhead, throw objects over shoulder, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, ab- duction, pulp pinch, palm pinch, finger press and medial grasp, 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. Provide sit/stand/lean capability to reduce static stress. 2. Provide height and orientation adjustable work stations. 3. Add curve to handle of nozzel of glue gun to avoid wrist deviations. 4. Suspend the glue gun overhead to reduce wrist deviation. 5. Use more than one employee for this operation to increase opportunities for rest breaks. 6. Use directive bar or other mechanism to deliver case from conveyor to operator. 7. Extend vertical surface of packing station to guide suitcases into cartons. 8. Put carton sealer at same level as packing station so case can be pushed in to eliminate lifting. 9. Install mechanism to reduce effort needed to tear bags OR purchase boxes coated with protective plastic on the inside. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"