Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 147 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 8, Station 4S where one employee was performing frame to shell (operation #513) and wire stitching (operation #514). 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, with both hands, from one shoulder, from both shoulders and by bending, stooping/bend- ing to fit space, bending to reach work, bending to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, stretching to reach work, reach shoulders forward, elbow flexion, elbow ex- tension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, and rotation, finger push, palm pinch, finger press, and finger 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 513 1) Time delivery of frame and shell to work station so that operator does not have to reach forward. 2) Design a machine which pushes the frame to the shell. 3) Use tilted fixture to reduce wrist deviations. 4) Provide adequate anti-fatigue mat or shock absorbing footwear. 5) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable workstation. 6) Provide mechanical ejector/diverter bar to move shells off conveyor. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 514 1) Provide even, cushioned floor coverings or shock absorbing footwear. 2) Use adjuctable machine. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"