Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 195 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-3, where one employee was performing top shell punch and drilling and top wheel attachment (operations # 476 & 205). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand exposed to vibration, force applied with fingers, force with one or both hands, force with one or both shoulders, work space constrains worker movements, bending to reach work, twisting to reach objects, stretch to reach objects, shoulders at different levels, reach forward, reaching above shoulder level, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push and press, palm pinch, pulp grasp, medical grasp, 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 eliminate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1989, 1990, 1991 document a pattern of cumulative trauma disorders associated with this and similar operations. An employee who was exposed to undue repetitive motion trauma, excessive force and awkward finger, hand and arm positions while punching shells and installing wheels as a Group Assembler working on Liner 76 underwent 2 surgical procedures. No second opinion was sought prior to the surgical procedure and the employee worked at the same job position until surgery. There is not evidence that job reassignment or modification, days off work or restricted work activity was used as a therapeutic approach for conservative medical treatment to address the CTD problem prior to the surgery. After a period of medical restriction the employee was returned to full duty on the same job without modifications of the work station or the job duties. 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 476 1) Design an automatic clamping mechanism for punching shell similar to drilling to eliminate the need for body weight and upper limb force to push down shell. 2) Redesign storage bin (coffin) with shells oriented horizontally to permit two handed lifts. 3) Provide open-sided bin. 4) Provide tilted bin. 5) Provide bin with spring-loaded bottom to elevate shells to reduce lifting distance. 6) Use alternative mode of shell delivery to work station; i.e. overhead track with gravity feed. 7) Provide uniform, padded work platform. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 205 1) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 2) Provided adequate cushioned floor mats. 3) Provide foot rest to permit alternating weight distribution. Provide an improved pad to relieve stress. 4) Develop surveillance and preventative maintenance program for torque setting of screwdriver. 5) Provide vibration dampening on handles of screwdriver. 6) Provide mechanical ejector or diverter arm to move cases on and off conveyor to eliminate forceful exertions and reaches. 7) Provide mechanical conveyor to eliminate pushing shells down roller conveyor. 8) Lower height of conveyor to reduce excessive lifting requirements. 9) Tilting of work surface to alleviate repetitive stress on flexed elbow joint and promote more natural posture of arm/wrist/hand. 10) Reorientation of work surface could permit use of more appropriate tool. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"