Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 254 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 16, Station 4 where one employee was perform- ing assembly of the skid plate (operation #378) and install track bracket to skid plate (operation #364). The evalua- tion of these tasks indicates that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges and vibration, force applied with fingers, one hand, both hands, from one shoulder and by bending, stooping/bending to fit space, work space con- straining movements, bending to reach objects, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, shoulders different levels, reach shoulders forward, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, pulp pinch, lateral pinch, palm pinch, finger press, pulp grasp and medial grasp, and closed fist, pencil 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 1990 document cumulative trauma disorders associated with these operations. 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 378 1) Provide screwdriver with longer handle or adjust articulated arm to reduce radial deviation of the wrist. 2) Provide a vibration dampening handle on the screwdriver. 3) Minimize torque and maintain preventative maintenance program for the torque setting. 4) Design support fixture in horizontal position to reduce wrist deviations. 5) Provide tilt bin or bin with spring loaded bottom or sides to reduce reaches and bending. 6) Move supply of skid plates closer to the operator. 7) Relocate track brackets or install storage chutes. 8) Bring components closer to worker to reduce reaches and eliminate twisting. 9) Provide sit/stand/leant option with adjustable work station. 10) Provide uniform fatigue mats over entire floor surface or use shock absorbing footwear. ABATEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: OPERATION 364 1) Provide uniform fatigue mats over entire floor surface or use shock absorbing footwear. 2) Provide vibration dampening for screwdriver. 3) Provide screwdriver with longer handle or adjust articulated arm to reduce radial deviation of the wrist. 4) Minimize torque and maintaing preventative maintenance program for the torque setting. 5) Design tool to snap hub cap into place or use method as described for Department 76, Station SG-1/NG-1. 6) Provide more space at work station so that the skid plate can be positioned horizontally on the table for installation of hub caps. 7) Provide a sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 8) Provide mechanical means of moving skid plate onto conveyor. 9) Locate wheels closer to operator to reduce reach. 10) Provide mechanical lifting devices for lifting of bins and trays. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"