Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 149 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 6 where one employee was performing riveting of hinges (operation #519), rivet lock and pad catches (operation #520), and rivet ribbon hooks (operation #419). 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 one hand, with both hands, work space constrains worker movements, bending to see work, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, reach shoulders forward, elbow flexion, elbow extension, hand/wrist 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 elimin- ate 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 519/520/419 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Ensure all bin edges are padded. 3) Install support platforms for rivet machine. 4)Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 5) Provide mechanical ejector to move cases on and off conveyor. 6) Provide wooden platforms to support case during operations. 7) Relocate hinge bin to eliminate excessive reaching and twisting motion. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"