Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 185 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 6, Station 26 where one employee was perform- ing injection mold pencil boxes (operation #121). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wr- ist contact with sharp edges, force applied with fingers, with one hand, with both hands, from one shoulder, from both shoulders and by bending, stooping/bending to fit work space, bending to reach objects, stretching to reach ob- jects, controls and work, shoulder reach forward, reach above shoulder, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, ulnar deviation, radial deviation and rotation, finger push, finger press and pulp grasp, and closed fist 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 data for 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 121 1) Provide anti-fatigue mats over the entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable, tiltable work station to reduce prolonged static posture and accommodate different worker heights. 3) Relocate hot air gun to reduce reach. 4) Provide mechanincal means for cutting operation. 5) Provide alternate tool for cutting operation. 6) Change grip of knife to reduce contact stress on hands. 7) Provide automatic clamping devices for heat machine. 8) Provide uniform height of materials to eliminate stooping and bending. 9) Reduce lifting distances with lifting table or adjustable pallet. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"