OSHA Inspection: CENTURY NORWICH CABLE TV CORPORATION

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

May 23, 1990

Penalty

Initial $810 · Current $500 Reduced

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
serious injury from lifting tasks without administrative or engineering
controls. The manual lifting task was required for every employee, but
was especially noted with the following occupations:
A. (1) THE WAREHOUSE MAN WAS OBSERVED PICKING UP AND CARRYING CARDBOARD
BOXES OF VARIOUS WEIGHTS AND SIZES FROM FLOOR TO FLOOR AND/OR
STORAGE RACKS VIA STEPLADDERS.
A. (2) THE WAREHOUSE MAN WAS ALSO OBSERVED PICKING UP AND CARRYING RG-
59, RG-6, RG-611, AND/OR RG-11 DROP CABLE REELS FROM FLOOR TO FLOOR
FOR THE PURPOSE OF STORAGE TO VARIOUS HEIGHTS.
THE EVALUATION OF THESE MANUAL LIFTING TASKS INDICATES THAT EMPLOYEES
ARE EXPOSED TO A RISK OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURY.
THE EMPLOYEES'S INJURY RECORDS FOR 1987, 1988 AND/OR 1989 DOCUMENTED
THAT EMPLOYEE(S) EXPERIENCED MUSCULOSKELETAL/OVEREXERTION INJURIES.
ABATEMENT NOTE: THE REVIEW OF EMPLOYEE INJURY RECORDS FOR 1987, 1988
AND/OR 1989 REVEALED AND DOCUMENTED THAT MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES ALSO
OCCURRED TO OTHER OCCUPATIONS AND OPERATIONS.
THE COMMON FACTOR OF THE MANUAL LIFTING IS THAT EMPLOYEES ARE EXPOSED
TO MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES FROM LIFTING, CARRYING, STORING, AND LOADING
BOXES AND CABLE REELS. AMONG OTHER METHODS, FEASIBLE AND USEFUL METHODS
TO ELIMINATE OR CORRECT THE HAZARD INCLUDE:
1) TRAINING AND SUPERVISION OF EMPLOYEES IN PROPER LIFTING AND HANDLING
TECHNIQUES AND IN THE RECOGNITION AND AVOIDANCE OF HAZARDS ASSOCIATED
WITH MATERIAL HANDLING.
2) EVALUATION OF THE LIFTING TASKS TO DETERMINE PROPER WEIGHT RANGES
FOR BOXES AND REELS.
3) ERGONOMIC REDESIGN OF WORKSTATIONS TO PERMIT REPOSITIONING OF
EMPLOYEES'S BODIES WHICH WOULD ALLOW EVEN LIFTS, CLOSE TO THE BODY,
AND AT A HEIGHT TO MINIMIZE THE STRESS OF THE LIFTS.
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 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 CONTROL
TO REDUCE MUSCULOSKELETAL STRESSES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT
LIMITED TO, JOB DESIGN, REDUCTION OF THE HORIZONTAL AND
VERTICAL LOAD DISTANCE FROM THE BODY, REDUCTION OF THE
LIFTING WEIGHT, AND USE OF MECHANICAL LIFTING AIDS.
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 EMPLOYEES ARE PERFORMING AT
THE ONSET OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES.
2) EVALUATION OF APPLICABLE CONTROL MEASURE(S).
3) PROCUREMENT, INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF SELECTED
CONTROL MEASURE(S).
4) MONITORING TO ASSURE EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF THE
CONTROL MEASURE(S).
STEP 3 - ABATEMENT SHALL HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY IMPLEMENTATION OF
FEASIBLE ENGINEERING OR ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS, UPON
VERIFICATION OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN REDUCING THE
OCCURRENCE OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES.

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

Jan 22, 1990

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

Jan 22, 1990

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

Jan 22, 1990

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

Jan 4, 1990

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

Jan 10, 1990

Issued

Dec 15, 1989

Abate by

Jan 22, 1990