Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 159 Hazard: ERGONOMIC

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause serious physical harm to employees, in that employees were required to perform tasks involving ergonomic risk factors (including, but not limited to, repetitive motions, force and awkward postures) resulting in stressors that had caused, were causing, or were likely to cause cumulative trauma disorder(s): (a) Department 8, Station 16N where one employee was per- forming inspection and repair of case (operation #595). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wr- ist exposed to agents (vibration, hammering), force applied with one hand, with both hands, from one shoulder, from both shoulders and by twisting, work space constrainis worker movements, bending to reach work, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, shoulders different levels, reach above shoulders, reach behind body, reach forward, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, abduction, lateral pinch, and medial grasp, and closed fist grip 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 1990 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 595 1) Provide adjustable work stations. 2) Provide adequate, even anti-fatigue mats. 3) Provide vibration dampening for power tools. 4) Counterweight and suspend drill and screwdriver. 5) Provide lighter, redesigned pop-riveter. 6) Install fit machine to eliminate the need to use hammer for "fit" operation. 7) Design support fixture which will support case during manipulations. 8) Provide mechanical ejector to move cases on/off conveyor. 9) Lower shelf behind work surface. 10) Provide movable fixture to support and move case during riveting in pad. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"