Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 189 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 7, Station 1, 2, 3, and 4 where one employee was performing vacuum forming (operation #55), vacuum form labor (operation #955), rivet for glides (operation #210), install handle trim (operation #637), rivet trim on handles (operation #569), washer to end cap (operation #295), assemble handles (operation #642), auto punch shells (opera- tion #210), label apron (operation #259), staple rail to apron (operation #190) and staple bottom lining stay (opera- tion #500). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: re- petition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, hands exposed to temperature changes, force applied with fingers, force applied with one hand, with both hands, from one shoulder, from both shoulders, by bending and by twisting, stoop/bend to fit work space, work space constrains worker movements, bending to reach work, see work and reach objects, twisting to reach work, stretching to reach objects, controls and work, shoulder reach forward, reach above shoulder, reach ovehead, throw objects over shouder, elbow extension and flexion, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial de- viation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, pulp pinch, palm pinch, finger press and medial grasp, and pinch 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 records for 1989, 1990 and 1991 document a pattern of cumulative trauma disorders associated with this operation. While ultimate responsibil- ity for correcting the hazard rests with the employer, given his superior knowledge of the operation, feasible and accept- able abatement methods to correct this hazard include, but are not limited to, the following: ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 55/955/210 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Provide adjustable height work platform or table to eliminate stooping and bending to fit the work space. 3) Pad sharp edges of storage bins, vacuum form edges, and trim press controls. 4) Use automatic cutter to separate shells. 5) Change knife handle design to eliminate ulnar deviation. 6) Institute a knife sharpening program. 7) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 8) Use automatic scrap removal off trim press. 9) Combine separation of shells/scrap removal into one laser-cutting or other cutting machine. 10) Redesign and relocate trim press controls to lower position. 11) Provide roller conveyor to move shells from vacuum form stations to punch stations. 12) Rearrange work station to prevent twisting to activate controls. 13) Build fixture for cutting table to incline cutting surface. 14) Raise table used for stacking to reduce bending and reaching. 15) Provide sit/stand/lean option. 16) Heat stress could be reduced by improved ventilation in view of vacuum molding machines. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 637/569/295/642 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 3) Pad and tilt rivet machines. 4) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 5) Provide mechanical means of pressing components. 6) Make location and orientation of rivet machine adjustable to improve wrist and neck posture. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 210 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Raise and reorient machine and controls to prevent bending forward at waist. 3) Reduce the number of job tasks to increase rest time. 4) Provide vacuum suction to pull shell into position and keep in place. 5) Change orientation of controls and the force required to permit palmar activation. 6) Provide spring loaded stacking platform to prevent bending at waist when stack is low, or reaching above shoulder height when stack is high. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 259/190/500 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Change location of label machine controls to reduce reaching backwards. 3) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 4) Provide adjustable height stapler. 5) Reduce the number of jobs to increase rest time. 6) Provide mechanical device to fold lining to reduce repetition. 7) Reorient label machine controls horizontally so palmar pressure can be used. 8) Provide automatic device to remove labels from backing tape. 9) Bring materials closer to worker and provide small platform on which to place finished product. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"