OSHA Inspection: ZWICKER KNITTING MILLS INC.

Issued

Apr 25, 1989

Abate by

Nov 17, 1989

Penalty

Initial $400 · Current $200 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8880

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
increased risk of cumulative trauma disorder(s) from the tasks that they
were performing and administrative or engineering controls were not
provided:
a) Pilers were exposed to cumulative trauma stressors of the upper
extremities (including hands, wrists, arms and shoulders) resulting
from the following: pinch grip with flexed wrist while pulling
garments up off vertical shapes, arms raised above shoulder level
(above head for tall shapes) while pulling garments off shapes,
static hand position with deviated wrist when holding batch of
garments with one hand and reaching for alternate shapes, and wrist
and forearm radially flexed when packing garment batches. Most work
motions were performed with a bent torso (reaching) posture as the
off load positions of the two shapers were more than 3 feet apart.
The stressors to the piler workers can be significantly reduced by a
program including, but not limited to:
1) Establish a combination of worker procedure, lubricant spray, and/or
coating ot minimize the hand and arm forced needed to take knit goods
off shaping forms.
2) Change the square finger cross-section shapes of knit glove forms to
a more rounded oval section, thereby reducing the force and effort
needed to remove knits from the forms.
3) Reduce the hand/arm/shoulder stressors of the piler which were
observed removing knit stockings and leg-warmers by pulling the knit
goods off the with their hand/arm ending above their head by causing
the long shaped molds to be swiveled out and small end pointed
forward toward the oiler as the knit piece and form above move
through the piler workstation. The piler could then remove the knit
piece from the form using a single pull: grasping the small end of
the piece and pulling it toward herself while maintaining her hands
below head - height.
4) Make the planned pilers' work-platform more useful by extending the
platform shape and have it follow the shape between the carousels.
5) Move all excess stock boxes out of the piler workstations to aid
their effective motion in handling knits.
6) Reduce piler lifting stress by using boxes and containers with
handles and/or placing them so that the lifting hand height is
maintained between the knees and shoulders.
7) Implement administrative controls such that both carousels feeding
into a piler's position be loaded with the same stock.  This would
allow maximum effectiveness with a single platform height and
reduce load box clutter.
8) Assure that the allowed limit lifting weights found in the National
Institute for Occupational Safety adn Health "Work Practices Guide
for Manual Lifting" dated March 1981 are followed.
9) Implement training sessions to familiarize workers with and
appreciate the types of movements and postures which precipitate
cumulative trauma disorders.
10) Implement a workplace education and awareness program aimed at the
maintenance of musculoskeletal health and prevention of injuries.
Specific efforts should be expended in indentifying and reducing
obstacles that prevent or deter a worker with symptoms from reporting
them.

Issued

Apr 25, 1989

Abate by

Nov 17, 1989

Penalty

Initial $400 · Current $200 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8880

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
increased risk of cumulative trauma disorder(s) from the tasks that they
were performing and administrative or engineering controls were not
provided:
a) Shapers were exposed to cumulative trauma stressors of the upper
extremities (including hands, wrists and arms) resulting from the
following: pinch grip with flexed wrist with moderate to strong force
applied when superimposing garments onto shapes, and arms raised
above elbow level (in some cases, above shoulder level) when
positioning garments.
The stressors to the shaper workers can be significantly reduced by a
program including, but not limited to:
1) Ease the static neck strain of shapers by installing mirrors in front
of their workstations so that the upper parts of tall forms can be
observed with the head in a neutral position.
2) Provide additional wrenches and tools to reduce workers' hand and
wrist stressors when they remove and/or install knit shapes on the
carousels.
3) Provide cart(s) for the transport of shapes between their storage
location and the carousels when they will be in use.
4) Reduce the weight of shapes where possible. In particular, the men'
18B and L22 glove forms were discussed.
5) Established a combination of worker procedure, lubricant spray, and/
or coating to minimuze the hand and arm forces needed to put knit
goods onto shaping forms.
6) Provide a supplement finger/thumb knit goods shaper tool that will
allow the shaper to pull knit gloves and mittens down over shaping
molds without direct finger and thumb action.
7) Change the square finger cross-section shapes of knit glove forms to
a more rounded oval section, thereby reducing the force and effort
needed to put knit goods onto the forms.
8) Modify the knit goods shaper mold attachments so that the shaper can
place the knit good onto the mold when her hands are at less than
half the full-reach distance and with hands held at no higher than
eye level. An adustable-height platform for the shapers could also
assist in maintaining more optional hand and arm position while
working.
In concept, there would be less worker and arm stress if the mold
automatically canted outward toward the shaper as it was moved past her
workstation, and when was automatically recentered into a vertical
position before the knit goods and the form were moved into the shaping
tunnel.
9) Move all excess stock boxes out of the shaper workstations to aid
their effective motion in handling knit goods.
10) Reduce shaper lifting stress by using boxes and containers with
handles and/or placing them so that the lifting hand height is
maintained between the knees and shoulders.
11) Assure that the allowed limit lifting weights found in the National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health "Work Practices Guide for
Manual Lifting" dated March 1981 are followed.
12) Implement training sessions to familiarize workers with and
appreciate the types of movements and postures which precipitate
cumulative trauma disorders.
13) Implement a workplace education and awareness programs aimed at the
maintenance of musculoskeletal health and provention of injuries.
Specific efforts should be expended in identifying and reducing
obstacles that prevent or deter a worker with symptoms from reporting
them.

Issued

Jan 31, 1989

Abate by

Feb 9, 1989

Issued

Jan 31, 1989

Abate by

Feb 3, 1989

Hazardous substances 22700710

Issued

Jan 31, 1989

Abate by

Feb 3, 1989

Hazardous substances 22700710