Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 258 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 8 where one employee was perform- ing rail riveting, installing insert and riveting rail and insert (operation #532/473/297). The evaluation of these tasks indicate that the employee is exposed ergonomic stressors including: repetition, hand/wrist contact with sharp edges, force applied with fingers, with one hand, with both hands, from both shoulders and applied by twisting, stooping/bending to fit work space, bending to see work, bending to reach work, twisting to reach objects, stretching to reach objects, stretching to reach work, shoulders different levels, reaching behind body, reaching forward, reaching above shoulder, reaching overhead, elbow flexion and extension, hand/wrist extension, flexion, pinch, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and rotation, finger push, pulp pinch, 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 1989, 1990, 1991 document a pattern of cumula- tive 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 and had a history of CTD related problems. There was not documentation of job reassignment or modification used a a therapeutic approach for conservative medical treatment to address the CTD problem. The employee was returned to the same job stressors which exacerbated the condition. 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 532/473/297 1) Provide rotating fixture to support shell while riveting. 2) Redesign rail riveting machine for automatic operation. 3) Reorient shell to horizontal and substitute gluing process in place of rivet machine. Rail could be pre-formed. 4) Provide adjustable height and orientation rivet machine to reduce and equalize reaches. 5) Relocate rail box closer to operator to eliminate twisting. 6) Provide uniform cushioned mat over entire work area or use shock absorbing footwear. 7) Provide sit/stand/lean option with adjustable work station. 8) Reduce the number of job tasks to increase the rest time. 9) Increase rest opportunities eg. by increasing the number of operators performing this task. 10) Reorient rivet machine to be operated at approximately a 30 degree angle to allow employee to rest the case on their shoulder, eliminating holding the case above shoulder height. SEE ABATEMENT NOTE: "ERGONOMICS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM"