OSHA Inspection: HORACE MANN EDUCATORS CORP.

Issued

1989-11-16 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-07-19 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $480.00 · Current $336.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Safety 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:
The employer's operation of the keying data input department,
using typewriters and VDT equipment, did not protect workers
from ergonomic hazards. Workers experienced muscle strain
injuries related to static muscle fatigue of trunk, neck,
shoulder, arms, and hands. Workers experienced cumulative trauma
disorders of hands and wrists that included tendonitis and carpal
tunnel syndrome.
The stressors affecting the keying operators can be reduced by a program
that includes, but is not limited to the following:
1. Lower the section of the workstation table holding the keying
machine.
Lower the section of the workstation table to a height that will locate
the VDT or electric typewriter keyboard approximately two inches below
the surface of the rest of the table. Adjust the keyboard of the type-
writer to a height of twenty-eight inches at the work tables.
2. Provide and maintain ergonomic chairs.
Provide and maintain a supply of ergonomic-adjustable chairs that
typically have at least the following features:
a. Waterfall Seat
Waterfall seat front edge shape assures that compressive forces on
the backs of the workers' thighs will be low and not restrict blood
flow to the legs.
b. Stable-Wheeled Base
Experience shows that five-wheel castor chairs are much more stable
and less likely to be upset than the older four-wheel models.
c. Adjustable Seat Height (See Table Table below)
Table. Woman Workers-
Heights, seats, and Table Heights
PERCENTILE                        5%    50%    95%
STANDING HEIGHT (One-Inch Heels)  59.3  63.4   67.3
SEATED WORKER HEIGHTS
(a) ELBOW HEIGHT                21.3  25     27.5
(b) BEAT HEIGHT                 14    15.7   17.5
Seated worker heights are heights between the workers heel
height and (a) Elbow Height, and (b) Seat Height
d. Provide Armrests on the Seat
Provide armrests on the seat that are height-adjustable and can be
used to rest the worker's elbow to reduce static muscle loading of
the worker's shoulder muscles.
Instruct workers in the adjustment of the chairs, their features,
and advantages. Encourage workers to become proficient in making
rapid adjustment of the chairs to fit their body at the start of
the workshift. Encourage the workers to make small adjustments of
the chairs during the workday to reduce muscle fatigue.
3.  Provide an adjustable footrest.
Provide an adjustable-height footrest, with a wide foot rest surface,
for the workers' feet which is inclined at an angle of twenty-five deg-
rees from the horizontal.
4. Provide methods for fitting workstations that fit the workers. The
approach that has been described in worker ergonomic abatement items 1
through 3 is based upon a fixed height for the table top. Table 2
describes the range of adjustment heights for the tables, chairs, and
footrests to accommodate 90% of all women workers. For those rare
workers whose standing heights are less than 59 inches or greater than
67.5 inches, a table height adjustment from the standard 28 inches
above the floor height is suggested.
Table 2. ERGONOMIC WORKSTATION HEIGHTS FOR WOMEN WORKERS
PERCENTILE              5%        50%        95%
STANDING WORKER HEIGHT         59.3      63.4       67.3
WORKTABLE HEIGHT               28        28         28
VDT/TYPEWRITER TABLE HEIGHT    26        26         26
SEAT HEIGHT                    20.5      18.7       18.0
FOOTREST HEIGHT                7.5       3.0        0.5
5.  Provide a working copy support that is close to the machine.
Workers were observed operating VDT machines and electric typewriters
with their work copy text laying flat on the worktable beside the mach-
ine. This posture promotes static stress of neck and shoulder muscles
and eye strain related to the constant focus depth changes between the
reading window on the typewriters/VDT screen and the work on the table.
Provide a workrest that is close beside the machine and at the same eye
focus distance as the machine screen.
6.  Train workers in low-stress hand, finger, and wrist positions.
Train workers to use minimum finger force, and a flat neutral wrist
and hand position while keying. Using a neutral wrist position, with the
wrist maintained in an angular range between ten degrees wrist extension
and twenty degrees wrist flexion, greatly reduces both the static muscle
and tendon stresses on the workers' wrists.
7.  Round or pad the edge of the worktable.
Round or pad the edge of the worktable to minimize local compression
pressures on workers' wrists and arms.
8.  Provide rounded padded wrist supports in front of the keying boards
on the machines. Workers that develop a typing style that uses a flat
wrist can further reduce elbow and arm muscle static strain by resting
part of the arm and hand weight on the wrist support.
9.  Evaluate the keying force.
Evaluate the keying force required to operate keying machines. As the
machines require service and/or replacement, provide machines that
require minimum keying forces.
10. Mandatory worker participation in fitness and exercise program.
Require that workers participate in the developed fitness and exercise
program by providing: time for flexibility and warmup before beginning
work, a stretch/exercise period at th mid-morning and mid-afternoon of
the workday. Encourage workers to follow a work regimine that alterna-
tes keying, proofreading, and printing tasks that will allow muscles to
recover from static fatigue and tension.
11. Train workers in postures to relieve muscle strains.
Train workers in the postures that they can use to minimize static musc-
le strains of the neck and trunk. Require that workers adopt and use
minimum-strain postures. It is also recognized that minor seat positions
and body posture changes throughout the workday can reduce muscle strai-
ns and muscle fatigue.
12. Use a periodic employee questionnaire.
Use a periodic employee questionnaire or survey to determine which work-
ers are experiencing pain and related difficulties, evaluate their conc-
erns, and make appropriate changes to minimize worker reported difficul-
ties.
DISCLAIMERS:
a. The employer is not limited to the abatement methods suggested
by OSHA;
b. The methods explained are general and may not be effective in
all cases; and
c. The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an
effective abatement method.