OSHA Inspection: TELEDYNE LAARS

Issued

Mar 8, 1991

Abate by

Dec 31, 1991

Penalty

Initial $810 · Current $400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The
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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 phyical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to
risk of musculoskeletal injuries such as muscle strain and back injury
from lifting tasks without the use of administrative or engineering
controls:
The injury and illness records for 1990 indicated a history or
musculoskeletal injuries.
A) Tile Making Area - Employee mixing ingredients for tiles was lifting
94-pound bags of cement from pallet on floor on 1/11/91. The
evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal
injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative and
engineering controls.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, some feasible and acceptable
abatement methods to correct this hazard are: Use smaller bags,
mechanical lifting device, or two man-lifts and employee training.
B) Residential Heat Exchanger Area - Employee doing the expanding
operation on heat exchangers was lifting cast iron end pieces.
weighing 27 pounds for JV 160 unit. The castings were being picked
from a row on a pallet at ground level on 1/11/91. The evaluation
of this lifting task indicates a risk or musculoskeletal injury to
most industrial workers and requires administrative or engineering
controls.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable
abatement method to correct this hazard is to place the pallet on an
adjustable lifting device so employee can pick up casting wihtout
having to bend over to reach.
C) Residential Heat Exchange Area - Employee doing the expanding
operation on heat exchangrs was lifting a JV 160 unit weighing
78 pounds out of a jig and setting on a table on 1/11/91. The
evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal
injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or
enginering controls.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable
abatement method to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting
device or two-man lift.
D) Machining Area - Employee operating NATCO and STANKO drill presses
was lifting cast iron end pieces for JV heat exchangers weighing
27 pounds. The castings were being picked from a row on a pallet
at ground level on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task
indicates a risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers
and requires administrative or engineering controls.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable
abatement method to correct this hazard is to place the pallet on an
adjustable lifting device so that the employee can pick up and replace
casting without having to bend over to reach.
E) JV Line, Packing - Two employees were lifting finished JVT 125 units
from a conveyor line, stacking them on the floor on 1/11/91. The
evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal
injury to most industrial workers and requires administrative or
engineering controls.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable
abatement method to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting
device.
F) JV Assembly Area - Employee was lifting JV 125 heat exchangers
weighing 70 pounds off the floor and setting them on the assembly
line on 1/11/91. The evaluation of this lifting task indicates a
risk of musculoskeletal injury to most industrial workers and
requires administrative or engineering contols.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable
abatement mehtod to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting
device or two-man lift.
G) residential Heat Exchanger Area - Two employees assembling heat
exchangers were lifting JV 160 units weighing 78 pounds off the
table and placing them on pallets on the floor on 1/11/91. The
evaluation of this lifting task indicates a risk of musculoskeletal
injury to most industrial workers and requies administrative or
engineering controls.
ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable
abatement method to correct this hazard is use of a mechanical lifting
device or two-man lift.
STEP 1-
Effective administrative protection, such as employee training, physical
assessment, job rotation, etc., shall be provided as an interim
protective measure until feasible engineering or administrative controls
can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee
exposure to nominal risk.
STEP 1-
Effective administrative protection, such as employee training, physical
assessment, job rotation, etc., shall be provided as an interim
protective measure until feasible engineering or administrative controls
can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee
exposure to nominal risk.
Minimum requirements for employee training include:
(1) Risks of lifting.
(2) Lifting biomechanics.
(3) Musculoskeletal considerations.
(4) Individual self-risk assemement.
(5) Handling skills-posture, movement, and timing.
(6) Handling aids.
(7) Avoiding the unexpected.
STEP 2-
Submit to the Area Director a written, detailed plan of abatement
outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering or
administrative measures to control employee injury due to manual
lifting tasks. Engineering controls to reduce musculoskeletal stresses
include, but are not limited to, job redesign, reduction of the
horizontal and vertical load distance from the body, reduction of the
lifting frequency, or weight, use of mechanical lifting aids, and use
of two person lifts.
This plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following
actions which must be consistent with the dates required by this
citation.
1) Evaluation of the conditions, locations and manual lifting activities
that the employees are performing at the onset of musculoskeletal
injuries.
2) Evaluation of applicable control measures.
3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected contols measures.
4) Monitoring to assure effective utilization of the control measures.
STEP 3-
Abatement shall have been completed by implementation of feasible
engineering or administrative controls, upon verification of their
effectivenss in reducing the occurenece of musculoskeletal injuries.

Issued

Mar 8, 1991

Abate by

Apr 30, 1991

Penalty

Initial $720 · Current $400 Reduced