Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 244 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 73, Station 6 where one employee was perform- ing install top cover (operation #412), install insert (operation 286) and install pop-up pin to insert ((operation #429). The evaluation of these tasks indicate that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: re- petition, force applied with fingers, hand/wrist contact sharp edges and exposed to vibration, force applied w/fingers, force applied with one hand, both hands and from both shoulders, stretching to reach objects, shoulder reach forward, elbow flexed and extended, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial and ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, palm pinch, medial grasp, closed fist grip and pinch grip which are causing or likely to cause cumulative trauma disorders. The employer did not implement an effec- tive control strategy to reduce or eliminate such disorders. The injury and illness records for 1989, 1990 and 1991 document a pattern of cumulative trauma disorders associated with this operation. An employee who was exposed to undue repetitive motion trauma, excessive force and awkward finger, hand and arm positions while installing top covers on working on Line 73 underwent a surgical procedure. No second opinion was sought prior to the surgical procedure and the employee worked at the same job position until surgery. There is no 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. The employee was returned to work at the same position after surgery without modifications of the job duties and the work station. 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 412/286/429 1) Provide adjustable work tables. 2) Provide uniform anti-fatigue mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 3) Set appropriate torque and institute preventative maintenance program. 4) Provide vibration dampening for screwdriver. 5) Counterweight screwdrivers. 6) Reduce the number of job tasks to increase rest time. 7) Perform top cover install off conveyor on work surface of appropri- ate height. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"