Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 227 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 11 where one employee was perform- ing installation of the hinge pin (operation #156), snap apron (operation #221) and setting stay caps (operation #557). The evaluation of these tasks indicate that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: re- petition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, hands exposed to water/agents (vibration), force applied with fingers, with one hand, with both hands, from one shoulder, from both shoulders and by twisting, bending to see work, twisting to reach work and objects, stretching to reach work and ob- jects, shoulder reach forward, reach above shoulder and reach overhead, elbow extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, abduction, palm pinch, finger press and pulp grasp, and closed fist 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 1990 and 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 156/557/221 1) Design a mechanical means of hinge pin insertion. 2) Use adjustable work stations. 3) Provide sit/stand/lean option to reduce prolonged static posture. 4) Design mechanical diverter to deliver cases closer to the worker. 5) Develop fixture which rotates to allow cases to slide into the fixture which then rotates for hinge insertion at a lower level to reduce lifting and reaching. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"