Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 223 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 13, Station 7 where one employee was perform- ing punching for glides (operation #423), riveting glides to shell (operation #518) and attach clip to shell (operation #278). 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, elbow flexion and elbow ex- tension, shoulder reach forward and reach above, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation and ulnar deviation, finger push, abduction, palm pinch and finger press, 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 responsibil- ity 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 423/518/278 1) Provide mechanical ejector to move shell on and off conveyor. 2) Pad sharp edges of bins of rivet glide machine and forward bins of clip attach machine. 3) Provide adjustable machines to prevent stooping to use controls. 4) Provide wooden platform on rivet machine to prevent supporting of shell while grasping glides. 5) Use appropriate, shock absorbing, footwear or cushioned fatigue mat to reduce stress of legs and feet. 6) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 7) Reduce the number of job tasks to increase rest time. 8) Tilt and lower height of glide supply box to reduce reaches and keep them below shoulder level. 9) Ensure that floor is free from debris. 10) Provide clamp for punch machine to eliminate manual holding. 11) Ensure material stacks are kept below shoulder height. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"