Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 190 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 5 where one employee was performing rivet pocket snaps/combo lock/ID bracket/apron snaps (opera- tion #502/691/19/590), punch, cut and install strip (opera- tion #505), install bottom lining (operation #545), assemble frame to bottom shell (operation #530), rail rivet (opera- tion #591), and drill for snaps (operation #319). 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, by bending and by twisting, stoop/bend to fit work space, work space constrains worker movements, bending to reach work and to see work, twisting to reach work, stretching to reach objects and work, shoulders different levels, shoulder reach forward, reach above shoulder, reach ovehead, elbow extension and flexion, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, pulp pinch, palm pinch, finger press, abduction, pulp grasp 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 effec- tive control strategy to reduce or eliminate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1988, 1989, 1990, 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 502/691/19/590 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Provide more space for worker. 3) Pad and tilt all rivet machine bins. 4) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 5) Reduce the number of riveting job tasks or combine riveting operations to reduce repetitions. 6) Institute a product control program to ensure holes are large enough for rivet machine prongs. 7) Provide support platform on rivet machine. 8) Provide adjustable machines. 9) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 505 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Provide more space for worker. 3) Automate the removal of the tape backing. 4) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 5) Automate stripping process or removal of tape backing to reduce repetitions. 6) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 7) Raise rotating fixture to reduce bending and leaning. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 545/530 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Redesign work station to provide stationary surface on top of conveyor to perform work. 3) Provide back stop on work surface to prevent case from sliding. 4) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 5) Provide mechanical means of folding lining to reduce repetitive folding. 6) Provide mechanical means of applying frame to shell to reduce repetetive push motions. 7) Eliminate pounding of the shell. 8) Lower work table and use tilted fixture to reduce wrist deviations, and lower materials storage platform. 9) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 591 1) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Design a rotating fixture to support shell during riveting. 3) Reduce the number of jobs to increase rest time. 4) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 319 1) Provide more space for the worker. 2) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 3) Suspend and counterweight drill. 4) Reduce the number of jobs to increase rest time. 5) Reorient drill to vertical position to use gravity. 6) Redesign work station so that drilling can be done vertically using a suspended, counterweighted tool. 7) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"