Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 012 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 death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to an increased risk of developing cumulative trauma disorder(s) from tasks that they were performing; engineering and administrative controlswere not implemented: a) Dept. 6 - Near automatic assembly machines such as ITC and RWC units in vicinity of columns U-22 and/or W-22 and also Q-22 and/orQ-26 where employees who lift single, handleless boxes of rivets and/or worm gears weighing 40+ lbs and each from 5131 baskets, carry the individual boxes to machine hoppers, and also fill the hoppers which required various trunk, arm and wrist postures, (wrist ulnary deviated and box is pinched gripped, trunk flexion for about a third of cycle box held at shoulder height and wrist ulnarly rotated during filling of machine hoppers were exposed to ergonomic stresses likely to result in cumulative trauma disorders. On or about 8/21/89. Among other methods some feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this hazard are: Priority 1 - Provide spring loaded crates to reduce your flexion during lifting of boxes - Provide handles on parts boxes lateral perforations, and Priority 2 - Provide a cart for carrying parts boxes to hoppers, or Priority 1 - Place the 5131 baskets closer to the machine hoppers, and mechanize the filling of the hoppers (e.g., design the hoppers so they are moveable and pneumatically adjustable in height).