OSHA Inspection: EMERY AIR FREIGHT CORPORATION

Issued

Jul 19, 2000

Abate by

Jan 18, 2001

Penalty

Initial $7,000

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 required to perform tasks involving ergonomic risk factors
(including, but not limited to
repetitive motions, excessive force or exertion, and awkward postures)
resulting in stressors that
had caused, were causing, and were likely to cause additional
musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs):
Cargo Handlers working in PMPC, Primary Sort, and the "Mods", were
observed repeatedly
grasping, lifting, pushing and pulling freight including bulky, unstable,
heavy mail bags. The
mail bags had no handholds so that the coupling between the hands and the
bags was poor.
Evaluation of this task indicated that employees required to perform this
task were exposed to
a hazard that caused or was likely to cause MSDs. The employer did not
implement an effective
control strategy to reduce or eliminate such disorders. The injury and
illness records for 1998,
1999, and 2000 documented a pattern of MSDs.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct this hazard is
the implementation of the following elements:
(1) Worksite analysis to recognize and identify existing ergonomic risk
factors in the
work place. The analysis would include the Company's injury and illness
records to
determine trends and target on site evaluations. It would also include
surveys of the work
areas to assess work practices and equipment currently in use, involvement
by all levels
of employees, and be lead by a person specifically trained in ergonomics.
(2) Medical Management which includes accurate recordkeeping of MSDs. MSD
cases
must continue to be accurately recorded and treated by the medical staff.
Information on
MSDs shall be used to identify jobs where there is a pattern of injuries
and
illnesses. The
tracking of injuries and illnesses shall be used to address jobs where
workers are getting
injured. In addition, this information shall be provided to supervisors so
that they may
work with employees to address the problem jobs. A systematic worksite
review shall
be done by the medical staff once they have been trained in ergonomics.
(3) Training and education shall be provided for all exposed employees and
their
managers and shall include methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the
training. Re-
training shall be done annually, and when workers are assigned to new
jobs. Training
shall address the hazards associated with the job, the risks of manual
material handling,
and how to prevent lifting related injuries. A supervisor training program
shall also be
implemented which includes recognition of ergonomic risk factors and
controls for those
factors. The training program shall include the establishment's health
care providers to
ensure that they are able to recognize and prescribe appropriate treatment
and return to
work restrictions that are meaningful with respect to work performed at
Emery.
Educational material or training on ergonomics shall be provided to those
persons
responsible for job design and purchase of equipment, tools, workstations
and parts.
(4) Hazard prevention and control which includes engineering,
administrative, and work
practice controls, and personal protective equipment where relevant, shall
first be
provided.
(a)Engineering controls may include workstation redesign, tool and handle
redesign,
and change of work methods. The goal shall be to make the job fit the
worker.
Examples of engineering controls applicable to the task of handling mail
bags
include:
- Placing mail bags in totes to improve the hand holds on the load and
thereby
reducing the instability of the load created by the shifting of the weight
during
handling.
- Working with the supplier of the mail bags and the employees who handle
the
bags to redesign the bagsto include a design that would reduce parcel
shifting
within the bag, improve the hand holds on the bags, and/or the
substitution on
another container in lieu of the mail bags.
- Use of a manual handling assistive device to transport the mailbags in
totes as
well as other freight from the slides to the Huts and from the Huts to the
conveyors. An example of this type of device would be a moveable roller
system
or slide.
(b)Administrative controls which reduce the duration, frequency, and
severity of
worker exposures to ergonomic stressors may include:
- Mandated two-person lifts for heavy mailbags placed in totes to reduce
the
amount of weight an individual must lift and resolve the load instability
and grip
problems with the bags.
(c)Work practice controls which may be implemented and include proper work
techniques, new employee conditioning, and monitoring and modifications as
necessary to minimize ergonomic stressors. Improved work practices should
reduce some of the risk factors observed during the inspection such as
awkward
postures. Supervisors with training and education in ergonomics may
identify
potential ergonomic problems, such as lifting while twisting at the waist
to
"throw" a mail bag onto a conveyor, and subsequently improve workers'
manual
handling techniques. Other hazardous work practices that could be
identified and
avoided include placing freight on the floor and then lifting it again at
a later time
which results in increased numbers of lifts and awkward postures to lift
the
freight from the floor.
Step 1-Implementation of worksite analysis, medical management, training
and
education, as detailed in items 1-3 above.
Step 2-Submit to the Area Director a written, detailed plan of abatement
outlining
a schedule for the development and implementation of the engineering,
administrative, and work practice controls such as those as detailed in
items 4(a) - (c).
All proposed control measures shall be approved for each particular use
by a person trained in the evaluation of workplace conditions which cause
MSDs. Sixty(60) day progress reports are required during the abatement
period.
Step 3-Implementation of engineering, administrative, and work practice
controls,
such as those described in items 4(a) - (c).

Issued

Jul 19, 2000

Abate by

Sep 5, 2000

Penalty

Initial $7,000

Issued

Jul 19, 2000

Abate by

Aug 7, 2000

Penalty

Initial $3,500

Issued

Jul 19, 2000

Abate by

Jul 25, 2000

Penalty

Initial $3,500