Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 001 Hazard:

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): 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 performing selecting tasks are required to perform manual handling tasks involving ergonomic risk factors including but not limited to, forceful exertions, bending, awkward postures, and combinations thereof that have caused or are likely to cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs): a) On or about October 18, 2016, selectors were engaged in the manual handling of dry grocery products, including but not limited to cases of water requiring repeated forceful lifting, extended reaching, twisting, and bending when selecting items for orders, loading them onto pallets, and then wrapping the pallets. Feasible means of abatement include but are not limited to: 1. Implement an ergonomics program that includes: a. An ergonomic assessment, by a certified professional ergonomist, industrial engineer, or other qualified professional, of the manual material handling tasks. The ergonomist, or other qualified professional, should make recommendations for reducing or eliminating ergonomic risk factors from the work of the employees performing manual material handling tasks in the position of grocery selector after his/her review of the material manual handling tasks and other physical factors. The ergonomics assessment should be repeated whenever conditions of order selection change (i.e., new product, new packaging, new slotting, or reported MSD injury or illness). b. Visible management commitment, c. An ergonomics task force ? this may be accomplished through the safety and or slotting committees already in place. The task force should meet regularly, review ergonomic issues including less physically demanding slots for products, and make recommendations on work processes, d. Ergonomics awareness training for the task force, e. Ergonomics training for the rest of the personnel engaged in material handling tasks within the facility f. Medical management g. Communications to all personnel of what is occurring through the ergonomics program, h. A semi-annual evaluation to ensure the program is actively implemented and on track. 2. Implement engineering controls; Engineering controls designed by a qualified ergonomics professional that can include workplace redesign, equipment or tool redesign. Examples of control measures applicable to the observed job-specific tasks may include but are not limited to the following: a. Reduce forward torso bending and reaches (horizontal modifier) by using only one pallet for a water order. Provide access to all sides of the pallet. b. Use the highest height for the forks on the order pallet jack when building the first layer of water for the order. If the hand height is below knee height when placing the first layer of water, use a double pallet for the order (plastic pallet on top) c. Use pallet risers to raise individual pallets off the floor. These reduce bending and maximize separation of pallets in the rack, therein facilitating two-sided access. d. Consider pick-by-layer zones to eliminate long reaches by selectors picking cases from pallets. The slots in these zones should be labeled to remind the Selectors that this is a targeted best practice area and supervisors should reinforce this practice through training and observation to increase its use. e. Other Wakefern employees using fork lifts (Replenishers) replenish the picking slots with full pallets of the same product after Selectors pick all the cases from the slot. Replenishers should move full pallets placed in the pick slots towards the outside of the slot to maximize the space between pallets, thereby allowing Selectors to step between pallets and gain two-sided access and reduced reach distances. This practice facilitates the picking by layer recommendation and supervisors should reinforce this practice through training and observation to increase its use. 3. Develop and implement administrative controls; Administrative controls should be designed by a qualified ergonomics professional and implemented to reduce the duration, frequency, and magnitude of the Selector?s exposure to ergonomic risk factors. These controls may include, but are not limited to, work methods, job rotation, and work rest scheduling. For any administrative control measure, a detailed job and task analysis should be performed to assure that other stressors, body part movements, or musculoskeletal system usage is not present at a magnitude that creates a hazard. Examples of administrative control measures applicable to the observed job-specific tasks may include but are not limited to the following: a. Provide ergonomic awareness training to all employees working in the facility on basic ergonomics principles, ergonomics hazard recognition, proper work methods, practices and techniques, recognition of signs and symptoms of MSDs, and the importance of their early reporting. b. Provide job-specific training to Selectors on ergonomics principles, early reporting of symptoms, safe manual materials handling practices and how to use ergonomic controls. Such training includes: i. Training selectors to move the product close to the body before it is lifted. This is especially important for those products weighing over 40 pounds, that present an increased risk to Selectors; ii. When the case arrangement for the order requires a long reach to place a case on the same layer, teach Selectors to drop the case close to their body and slide it into position; iii. Training on use of the layer picking technique that requires all the cases from a layer to be picked before removing the cases from the next layer. A pick stick should be used to move cases beyond easy reach; iv. Providing training on the importance of starting the order with the forks of the pallet jack raised to the highest level; v. Allowing time for selectors to walk around the order pallet on the pallet jack to reduce long reaches (horizontal modifier).; and vi. Training selectors to point their toes in the direction of the lift to minimize twisting while lifting (reduces asymmetry modifier). c. Train Selectors to their keep pallet jack at least 3 feet away from the racking to encourage stepping while turning rather than twisting the back. 4. Develop and implement work practice controls: a. Provide Selectors with appropriate warm-up exercises and a period of time at the beginning of a shift and after lunch to perform the warm-up exercises. b. Provided micro breaks between orders to reduce fatigue. c. Employer should monitor work practices and correct improper work methods particularly for heavy cases and orders. 5. Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to selectors, such as high friction gloves that reduce force requirements of order pulling/selection tasks involving repetitive lifting/handling of cases. 6. Implement a program of medical management: a. Develop and implement a mechanism for early reporting of signs and symptoms of MSDs, as well as training Selectors to understand the mechanism of MSD progression and the importance of early recognition and reporting of signs and symptoms of work-related MSDs. b. Provide appropriate light duty jobs that are consistent with medical restrictions. c. Designate a medical provider who is familiar with Selector tasks to provide tailored fitness-for-duty and job accommodation recommendations to management.