OSHA Inspection: ANCHOR ACQUISITIONS LLC

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Oct 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $900

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Jul 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $700

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Jul 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $700

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Jul 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $500

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Jul 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $500

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Jul 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $400 · Current $400

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $500 · Current $500

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 14, 1990

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $900

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 14, 1990

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 14, 1990

Penalty

Initial $800 · Current $800

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 14, 1990

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Jul 1, 1992

Penalty

Initial $10,000 · Current $8,500 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:
a) The Select and Pack Department, the In-Line Tempering Units-Shop
number 1-1 and 1-2; In-Line Heat Treat for pressed beverage ware-Shop
number 1-4, 1-5, and 2-1; In-Line Crack-off/Heat Treat Line-Shop
number 5-2; and Lahrs numbers 1-3, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6. The
employer failer to provide an effective program to protect workers
performing glassware inspection and packing from ergonomic injury and
disease and packing free ergonomic injury and disease.
Representative ergonomic injury and disease that the workers suffered
over an extended period included low back strain, strains of the upper
back, neck, and shoulders; repetitive motion disorders including Carpal
Tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, epicondylit; (elbow and
rotator cuff shoulder). There is an established recorded history of
workers suffering the injuries including extended lost work time and
surgeries to correct body damage.
The ergonomic injury and disease problems among the glassware inspection
and packing workers can be abated by a two part program. The first, and
listed immediately below is a progressed effort to control and reduce
the ergonomic stressors affecting the workers.
1) To facilitate inspections with less stressful glassware handling
install non-breakable Lexan or other appropriate translucent plastic
where the wood Lahr tables are presently. Install flourescent lights
under the translucent plastic. Glassware would be lifted from the
conveyor and set atop the table for inspection.
2) Provide padded wrist supports for workers who must lift glassware for
inspection. In practice, the workers would hold the glassware in with
the wrist in a neutral position and rotate the formers while the
wrist is allowed to rest against the wrist rest.
3) For rejected heavy glass items such as pitchers, cake domes, and oven
pans, there is considerable hand and arm stress associated with
lifting the glassware and throwing it typically at eye level and with
3/4 area extensions into the waste glass return conveyor. An
alternative would be to place a wheeled reject box beside the
inspection station, possibly with a slide chute at waist level.
Periodically, the box with reject glass could be brought to a return
conveyor that allowed the glass to be dropped from waist height and
close to the body, or alternatively dumped much like a wheelbarrow.
4) For workers packing glassware into boxes, provide box holders. A
batter box holder location is beside the Lahr board not stop it and
the box flap nearest the workers is foleded down and held out of the
way. Workers can then place glassware into the box with hands and
elbows held in close to the body. The hand maximum height while
putting glass into the box should be armpit height or less.
5) Workers can reduce back and lifting stress by rotating their whole
body using their feet when they transfer glassware from the Lahr
board to the large box or container typically behind them. This
posture position is called an "erect neutral body position" and it is
recognized to represent minimum muscle and tendon stress for a
standing worker.
6) Some ovenware pans and bowls were observed coming down the Lehr lines
with the rounded bottom upward, and the glassware rim resting flat on
the conveyor. It is possible to ease finger and hand stress by
mechanically lifting the front rim of the glassware 1/4 to 3/8 inch.
Investigate using fixed raised strips stretched across and just above
the surface of the conveyor. In practice, the flat smooth edge of the
raised strip would go under the advancing glassware and raise it. The
raised strips could be removed and stored beside the Lahr inspection
station when not needed.
7) Workers can ease back and hand stress by waiting for the glassware to
come to them. Provide a light beam, paint stripes or other guides to
workers where glassware is to be unloaded from and require that
workers use the "unload" zones.
8) Heavy glassware causes less body stress if it can be slid sideways
into its container. Candidate items include ovenware, pitchers, and
cake dome sets. Provide boxes and instructions to make this possible.
9) Inspecting glass tumblers and goblets by leaving them is less
stressful. The glass tumblers are not lifted; but can be leaned first
forward then away from the worker. The inspection of the glassware is
broken into a series of steps; (a) first the glassware is lifted from
the conveyor, (b) lean-inspected, while the workers lifting arm
muscles relax, then (c) finally the glassware is liften for placement
into a box or container.
10) Worker foot and lower leg stress can be reduced by providing
resilient walking mats or by providing cushioned shoe inserts.
11) For side inspection and pack work station such as Lahr 1-2, the
second and third inspector-packers have less lifting stress if
divider can be place up stream of them to move their glassware side
ways to a closer position similar to that provided at the first
inspector-packer station. The diverters can be hinged to move out of
the way when not needed.
12) On Lahr 5-2 there is a backlighted worker glassware inspection and
rejection station. Provide an ergonomically adjustable chair for the
worker. The chair shall include a waterfall shaped seat pan,
adjustable height back with lumbosacaral support pad, and height
adjustment of the seat, and back support. Provide arm supports for
the worker. Because the workstation is elevated, provide a foot
support attached to the chair along the lower front edge of the
glassware inspection window. Provide a low rounded 4 inch wide wrist
rest for the worker.
The second major element of the plantwide ergonomic injury and disease
control program includes consideration of the management need to support
the workers. Suggested elements include, but area not necessarily
limited to:
1) Worker training and information. The key to helping workers protect
themselves from ergonomic injury and disease is information.
Establish an education program to inform the workers about lifting
related stresses, posture related stresses and repetitive motion
related disease. The program should be addresses to both new workers,
injured workers, and to long term workers who need to maintain and
apply the knowledge. Ideal ways for educating workers is (a) the
traditional small classroom study group, and (b) self teaching video
tape.
2) Job Stress Analysis. If necessary using the assistance of a
consultant, conduct a rapid ergonomic hazard assessment of the jobs
at the workplace. Use a short survey form and ask both the supervisor
and worker performing the job to participate. Couple the consultant,
supervisor and worker job assessments with five years of OSHA 200
Logs, OSHA 101 Accident Reports (or equivalent company reports) and
Worker's Compensation reports to rate the jobs as "A" medium and "C"
low hazard.
3) Formal Worker Questionaires. Workers can give information that cannot
be gained any other way about their own experience in performing
their jobs. Establish a formalized worker questionaire program
comparable to that used by OSHA. The workers and their representative
need to be carefully informed that their information is seriously
being sought. They need to be assured that personal pain and problems
information will not be used against the workers, but only be used in
establishing which jobs are stressful. Of very great importance are
the workers comments and suggestions about: (a) what specifically is
it about your job that is stressful or hazardous, (b) what are your
suggestions for ways and methods that the job and your work station
can be improved to reduce the stress while maintaining productivity?
The worker's questionaires are suggested to be computerized and input
sought every 6 months from high stress rated jobs, and once every
year from workers performing medium and low rated jobs. It would be
effective for information review and decision making if the
questionaires were given to workers spread evenly across the 12
months of the year.
4) Work station and task low hazard procedure: using information from 2
and 3 above, establish the preferred low ergonomic hazard method for
performing tasks. It is most effective and easily done if a video
tape can be made of a worker performing the task. The worker can give
a 5 minute demonstration of the job, and the worker can provide
verbal comments. Other workers can be shown the tape when needed to
refresh them in the established method for job performance. If worker
suggestions for further improvement of stress reduction, that can be
video documented and a side by side decision made of which method
will be used. workers need to be informed that a low hazard method of
job performance, once selected is mandatory.
5) Computerized accident and injury records: establish a computerized
employee health and medical monitoring program. The program can
greatly ease required OSHA recordkeeping. It can also be used to sort
health and safety problems in the workplace through sorting
information and comparing information with previous periods. The
computer program can be run on a desktop computer software such as
Lotus 123 or D Base III can be adopted and used.
6) Establish a worker's wellness program: for those workers who require
it, provide early conservative therapy and medical assistance. It is
possible to cure lifting and repetitive motion body, hand, and arm
strain by proper rest, medication, strengthening weakened and out of
balance muscles, and by reducing workplace stressors.
-A written lockout policy shall be established including procedures
for locking out equipment or machinery. Employees involved in
implementing the program shall be trained in all elements thereof.
-There shall be regular enforcement and periodic evaluation of the
program to ensure usage and adequacy of the program.

Issued

Jul 13, 1990

Abate by

Nov 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $10,000 · Current $8,500 Reduced

Issued

Jun 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 13, 1990