OSHA Inspection: WHITE AUTOMOTIVE (WITCO)

Issued

May 1, 1990

Abate by

Apr 22, 1991

Penalty

Initial $800 · Current $800

Issued

May 1, 1990

Abate by

Apr 22, 1991

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $700

Issued

May 1, 1990

Abate by

Apr 22, 1991

Penalty

Initial $600 · Current $600

Issued

May 1, 1990

Abate by

Apr 22, 1991

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $900

General-duty citation text

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 excess-ive radio frequency and electrical burns:
(a) In the radio frequency heat sealer area: Employees were
tasked to operate the five (5) Thermatron heat sealers in the
absence of a safety and health program which addresses the
health and safety hazards created by exposure of operators
and maintenance personnel to 27.12 MHZ nonionizing radiation.
Exposures occurred on or about 10 January and 22 February
1990 during heat sealing, maintenance, sewing and as a result
of employees' positions in energy fields during duty cycles
of other adjacent Thermatron heat sealers.
Excessive exposure to absorbed energy from radio frequencies
can cause a variety of health effects including reproductive
damage, immunosuppressive illnesses and cardiopulmonary
dysfunction.
(b) In the radio frequency heat sealer area: Maintenance
employees conducted service and maintenance operations such
as, but not limited to, set-up of dies, adjusting duty
cycles, electrical repairs, repairs of arc-out and discharge
rectifiers on the Thermatron 1,4,10,15 and 20 KW RF Heat
Sealers and were exposed to the hazards of severe electrical
burns/shocks and crushing. The Heat Sealers are serviced
by 440 volts, producing 29,000 volts and 70 amps. The
maintenance operations are performed in the absence of a
lock-out/tag-out procedure which would physically prevent
the re-energization of the equipment.
Feasible methods of abatement include, but are not limited
to, the implementation of a comprehensive radio frequency
heat sealer health and safety program with the following
elements:
1. Identification of employees at risk of exposure.
2. Training of employees at risk in all aspects of safety
and health related to radio frequency nonionizing radiation.
3. Effective shielding of heat sealer radio frequency electrodes
to eliminate leakage of nonionizing radiation.
4. Periodic measurement of field strenghts around electrodes
to assure the integrity of the shielding.
5. Increasing the distance between operators, and
maintenance
personnel and the energized secondary sealers in
the immediate area (e.g. increase timed surge delay to
allow operator to step back across 4 feet demarcation
around each source electrode).
6. Posting of the heat sealer area with the appropriate
warning signs (e.g. Warning Radio Frequency Radiation
Hazard).
7. Use of a chair constructed of nonconductive material for
the operators of heat sealers (i.e. operator of heat
sealer #5 needs a wooden chair).
8. Use of elevated operator platforms constructed of
nonconductive
material (i.e. operators of heat sealers #1
and #5 (e.g. wood).
9. Use of grounding connectors for conductive equipments
located in the energy fields which become energized, to
prevent a shock hazard (e.g. sewing machines, storage
trays/racks on either end, in front of, and below, the
heat sealers).

Issued

May 1, 1990

Abate by

Apr 22, 1991

Penalty

Initial $9,000 · Current $9,000

General-duty citation text

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 cumulative trauma disorders:
(a) The employees performing sewing, cutting, snipping and
trimming operations in the Accessories Area, CAMI Area,
HUM-V Area, Recreational Vechicle Areas and other manu-
vacturing areas were exposed to undue repetitive motion
trauma. This trauma was due to repeated hand, wrist,
shoulder and upper torso exertions causing, aggravating
or precipitating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, tendinitis,
tenosynovitis, numbness of fingers and hands, strains of
the fingers, thumbs, hands, wrists, forearms, upper
arms, elbows and necks, epicondylites and ganglionic
cysts.
Feasible and useful remedies include, but are not
limited to, the following:
1) Education of employees as to the causes, nature of,
and the reduction and treatment of Repetitive Trauma
Disorders such as, but are not limited to, Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome;
2) Training of employees and supervisors in exercises and
conduct of sewing duties to recognize and reduce the
effects of repetive trauma;
3) Utilization of ergonomically designed scissors,
snips, and powered cutting devices for multiple
layer cutting operations; maintenance of a sharp
cutting edge on tools;
4) Utilization of ergonomically designed chairs;
5) Reduction of employee standards for production
quotas on numbers of items produced per unit time;
6) Engage the services of an ergonomics consultant to
further analyse the operations;
7) Adjustment of employee work stations relevant to
employees' height;
8) Adjustment of employee work stations to reduce
handling distances, twisting and reaching;
9) Implementation of employee exercise program to
strengthen affected portions of the torso;
10) Implementation of a medical surveillance program
designed to identify, treat, prevent, and lessen
the effects of cumulative trauma disorders.
STEP 1: A comprehensive training program for employees, supervisors,
and management personnel which emphasizes; recognition, prevention,
management, exercises to reduce traumas, methods to reduce the number
of motions, work station design, ergonomic tools and equipment, and
medical treatments of repetitive trauma disorders.
STEP 2: A written detailed plan of progressive abatement leading to
complete abatement shall be submitted to the Area Director. This plan
shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions
which must be consistent with the abatement dates required by this
citation:
1) Evaluation of engineering/administrative control options;
2) Selection of optimum control methods and completion of design;
3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected control measures;
4) Testing and acceptance or modification or redesign of controls;
STEP 3: Abatement shall be completed by the implementation of feasible
engineering and/or administrative controls and verification of their
effectiveness in achieving compliance.