Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 219 Hazard: ERGONOMIC

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The emp l 1urnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognize d 71re causing or likely to cause serious physical harm to employees, in that required to perform tasks involving ergonomic risk factors (including, but n repetitive motions, force and awkward postures) resulting in stressors that causing, or were likely to cause cumulative trauma disorder(s): a) Department 13, Station 3 where one employee was perform- ing stake rivets (operation # 510), rivet stays to top frame (operation #251) and top cover rivet to bottom frame (opera- tion 412). The evaluation of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: re- petition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, force applied with fingers, with one hand, with both hands, from one shoulder and from both shoulders, stretching to reach objects, reach shoulders forward, reach above shoulder, elbow flexion and elbow extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation and ulnar deviation, rotation, finger push, palm pinch 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 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 510/251/412 1) Provide adjustable machines. 2) Expand work area. 3) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 4) Pad bins of rivet machines. 5) Reduce number of job tasks to increase rest time. 6) Provide larger wheels to make pushing rack easier. 7) Make the point of operation for riveting machines adjustable height and adjust for individual worker. 8) Provide rack which does not require bending or reaching above shoulder height. 9) Relocate top covers to reduce bending. 10) Lower the point of operation of rivet machines. 11) Divide the work station into top and bottom frame operations to reduce the number of repetitions. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"