Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 194 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 76, Station SG-1 and NG-1, where one employee was performing axle test and notch (operation # 475 , # 441) and wheel assembly (operation #344). The evaluation of these tasks indicate that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, reaching forward, hand and wrist flexion, rotation and extension, force with one hand, force from one shoulder, pinch grip, force with fingers, elbow flexion, hand ulnar deviation, medial grasp, pulp grasp, reach above shoulder level, finger abduction, hand radial deviation 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. 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 475 1) Bring parts bin closer to operator. Restrict reaches to less than 15 inches. 2) Change orientation of axle relative to torque wrench by moving socket from horizontal to vertical adjustment. This would permit application of force to the axle with the wrist in the neutral position. 3) Provide sit/stand option with adjustable work station. 4) Provide a foot rest to alternate weight distribution. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 441 1) Provide sit/stand option with adjustable work station. 2) Provide foot rest and even, padded platform. 3) Notch axles during the axle cutting operation i.e. when axles are being cut from the rod. 4) Tilt and lower the notching machine to reduce reaching while the arm is extended. 5) Educate employees to use both hands to perform the task so that effort is distributed to both hands rather than concentrated on one hand. 6) Automate operation. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 344 1) Expand work space to eliminate restriction of motions. 2) Relocate wheel bin or use parts chutes to eliminate lifting. 3) Provide mechanical lifting device for movement of parts bins. 4) Reposition axle grease container within comfortable reach distance. 5) Wheel and axle bins would be lowered to improve access and reduce need for deviated wrist postures. 6) Change orientation and shape of toggle switches for wheel assembly machine. 7) Design a tool to replace the need for finger force to snap the hub cap into place. For example, design a tray which would hold several wheels horizontally (with multiple molds/concave forms). A hub cap would be placed on top of each wheel. A matching plate would press against the lower tray to press hubcaps to the wheels. 8) Bring action elements closer to operator. 9) Provide sit/stand option with adjustable works station. 10) Provide a foot rest to alternate weight distribution. 11) Provide uniform, padded platform. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"