OSHA Inspection: ARMOUR FOOD CO.

Issued

1989-06-28 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-09 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $1000.00 · Current $300.00 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:
a) In the fryer department, packers were exposed to cumulative trauma
stressors of the upper extremities (including hands, wrists, and
arms) resulting from repetitive reaching and lifting of frozen
meat patties, and placing then into boxes or plastic trays in a
cold environment.
Feasible means of abatement may include, but are not limited to, the
following:
1) Establish a miximum number of product pieces that can be gripped
with the least amount of extension by the thumb and fingers.
2) Provide instructions to workers on the use of minimum clamp
strength.
Instruct workers in using the minimum clamp strength that can be used
when the worker's hands grip the product between the thumb and fingers.
3) Provide work stations that allow neutral wrist/hand positions for
workers.
Provide work stations that allow workers to use neutral wrist and hand
positions while selecting the product from moving conveyor,
transferring and placing the product into the receiving box or plastic
tray. Instruct workers in the use of work stations to ensure use of
neutral wrist/hand positions.
4) Provide appropriate gloves for workers.
Ensure gloves provided for workers fit the worker's hands snuggly and
provide good insulation from the cold product being handled.
5) Position patties in an orderly array when patties come from the
freezer conveyor and are moved down the packing line.
Position patties in an orderly array which enables the workers to pick
up "stacks" of patties in one motion minimizing handling for placement
in the box or tray. This packing method will reduce the number of hand
motions required to fill the box or tray.
b) In the fryer department, packers and Taper/Scalers were exposed to
lifting strains of the upper extremities and trunk when they lifted
boxes weighing 15 to 23 pounds and trays weighing 30-35 pounds from
a height of 2 feet 10 inches, roated the position of the box or tray
to a height of 4 feet 6 inches, and place the box or tray on a
conveyor with a horizontal set back of 6 inches.
Feasible means of abatement may include, but are not limited to, the
following:
1) Provide a horizontal roller conveyor under the box or tray.
Provide a horizontal roller conveyor under the box or tray that is
being filled. The conveyor, either with rollers of a gravity feed
type or a powered conveyor, extending from the packing area to another
powered conveyor set at a 90 degree angle to the side, and slightly
below the delivery end of the conveyor.
2) Instruct the packer workers in the use of the conveyor.
Instruct the packer workers in the use of the conveyor to use neutral
hands/wrist positions when pushing or moving the box or tray on the
conveyor.
3) Relocate the Taper/Scaler Workers.
As a result of the conveyor change, relocate the Taper/Scaler Workers
to allow them to complete the process with minimal handling and
lifting.
4) Provide a self-adjusting pallet handler.
Provide a self-adjusting pallet handler so that, as more boxes are
placed onto the handler, the pallet handler will sink to keep the
upper surface of the boxes or trays on the pallet at waist height.
c) In the fryer department, formulator workers were exposed to lifting
strains of the upper extremities and trunk while lifting 60 pound
boxes of meat from pallets as low as 6 inches above the floor,
forcing the boxes open, and positioning the bales of meat onto
the meat grinding operating table.
Feasible means of abatement may include, but are not limited to the
following:
1) Provide a pallet raiser.
Provide a pallet raiser. As the boxes of meat are removed, the pallet
raiser will lift the pallet and the remaining tiers of boxes to waist
height.
2) Provide a horizontal roller conveyor.
Provide a horizontal roller conveyor that will allow the worker to
move the boxes of meat by rolling them to the meat grinder machine
table.
3) Provide additional flooring.
Provide additional raised flooring (if needed), so that the worker
can strip off the box and push the meat onto the meat grinder machine
table with the box height between the hip and waist.
d) In the fryer department, formulator workers were exposed to lifting
strains of upper extremities and trunk when they lifted bags of
ingredients (weighing up to 50 pounds) to shoulder height, and
places measured amounts into mixing totes or vats. Workers were
observed using several means of ingredient transfer including:
extended arms and pouring, extended arms using a coal shovel, etc.
Feasible means of abatement may include, but are not limited to, the
following:
1) Install a system of bins with gravity feed ducts.
Install s system of bins with gravity feed ducts. Incoming ingredients
can be delivered to the storage bins by using: pneumatics, a screw
auger, and/or slit bags on top of dump grates.
or
1) Provide adjustable height high-lift pallet jacks.
Provide adjustable height high-lift pallet jacks, and roll them into
position beside a mixing tote or vat. These jacks would raise them so
that the bags are at shoulder height, and allow delivery by dumping
the bags into the mixing tote or vat.
e) In the White Castle department, packers were exposed to cumulative
trauma stressors of the upper extremities (including neck, shoulder,
elbows, hands, wrists and arms) that resulted in cumulative trauma
disorders (CTD) when they performed repetitive lifting and stacking
sheets of White Castle burgers using a short handled rake weighing
1.9 pounds. The combined weight of the rake and sheets of burgers is
approximately 4 to 7 pounds. The workers' problems are aggravated
by poorly fitting gloves and extensions of the shoulder, arm and
hand. Packers with unprotected hands remove flawed burgers,
replacing them with other burgers. At the time of handling, the
burger temperature is 28 degrees Farenheit.
Feasible methods of abatement may include, but are not limited to,
the following:
1) Modify inspection procedure and eliminate raking task.
Perform the inspection taks after the burger is formed and slide the
defective sheet of burgers off the conveyor for removal and replace
with good burgers. Acceptable burger sheets would then pass down
to the end of the conveyor where the burger sheet would slide or drop
onto/into the form with an employee monitoring for QC and proper
stacking.
2) Ensure use of properly fitting gloves.
Ensure use of properly fitting gloves for workers handling cold
products to insulate the hands from the cold.
3) Provide work station adjustments.
Provide work station adjustments to eliminate static-muscle position
caused by workers bending forward for extended periods with their
heads, necks, and shoulders while picking out and replacing defective
burgers.
a) In the corn dog department, packers were exposed to cumulative
trauma and lifting related stressors of the trunk, shoulders,
hands and arms when they moved the filled trays of corn dogs.
Feasible means of abatement may include, but are not limited to, the
following:
1) Install horizontal roller conveyors.
Install horizontal roller conveyors that extend from the packer's
work station, with a slight downward incline, onto a powered conveyor
that will take the filled trays to the pallet area.
2) Install pallet levelers.
Install pallet levelers in the pallet area allowing trays to be placed
in tiers at waist height. Levelers will ensure palletizing to be
done at an acceptable waist height.

Issued

1989-06-28 00:00:00

Abate by

1989-07-28 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6000.00 · Current $6000.00