OSHA Inspection: WC NATIONAL MAILING CORPORATION

Issued

1989-02-22 00:00:00

Abate by

1989-03-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $630.00 · Current $100.00 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) The employer failed to establish and maintain an effective program to
protect workers from working hazards that were likely to result in
Cumulative Trauma Disorders (C&D) for mail-insert machine operators
and mail-sorter handler workers.
A program aimed at the reduction of worker stressors may be expected to
include, but not be limited to:
1) Establishing a Worker-Wellness Program.
The program might be established with the assistance of medical
therapists and ergonomicists. It is suggested that the program
include:
a) Worker training in the awareness of body positions and factors that
create work-related stresses.
b) Establish a paid Worker Exercise Program that has the goal of
increasing worker strength, flexibility, and endurance. By
participating in the exercises stressed in the program, the worker
will be allowed to warm and stretch his/her muscles.
c) Using worker questionnaires and medical examinations, establish
which workers, are suffering pain and early symptoms of CTD-related
disease.
With the help of the medical therapist, develop individual programs
for the decrease of pain and symptoms.
d) For those workers who require time away from the job, and who may be
under medical care, establish a therapy program that they can do to
improve and maintain strength, improve work fitness, and prepare
them for a timely return to work.
2) Changing the work station for the Machine Operators.
a) Adjust the height of boxes of stock.
With an adjustment, the operator can always select material at a
distance of no lower than midway between knees and crotch, and no
higher than halfway between waist and shoulders.
b) Provide a jog table surface that is slightly above standing-waist
height.
The worker can then jog and bump the paper bundle using elbows at a
right angle close to her sides and with a straight back.
c) Instruct workers, whenever possible, to load pockets from the
pocket-side of the machine.
This position minimizes arm extension. Instruct the workers to use a
body lean and a hook-finger grip, with the fingers of the right hand
should be positioned under the top right corner of the stack. The
goal is to prevent using a clamp-grimp, extreme wrist extension, and
extreme wrist motion when placing bundles of stock into the pockets.
d) Provide a foot-operated paper press.
Assuming that bundles of paper shall be "bent" prior to being placed
into the pockets, provide a foot-operated paper press.
This way the worker can position the bundle in the press, and then be
able to use his/her foot and leg weight and force to make the "bend".
3) Changing the workstations of the Sorter(s)
a) Seat the sorter worker and adjust the height of the work table.
It seems likely that platform height changes will be needed to
accomplish this. Place a work table at an estimated 29" above the
floor height.
b) Locate the mail bags with support frames at or below the table
height.
This will enable the sorter to slide bundled envelopes and cause the
envelopes to be dropped into the mail bags. It was not recorded, but
it is assumed that the sorter is not responsible for pulling draw
string on the mail bags, resupplying empty bags, riiging them onto
frames, and stacking filled mail bags onto pallets.
c) Relocate the supply conveyor.
Relocate the supply conveyor so that the envelopes will then arrive
approximately 12 inches above the work table and 12 inches back from
the work table edge. The seated operator is expected to observe the
envelopes and select the envelopes in batches from the conveyor.
d) Provide padded edges to the working edge of the worktable, and
provide a height/back contour-adjustable ergonomic chair.
e) Relocate the String-Tying Machine
If possible, locate the String-Tying Machine so that the worker can
sit facing the conveyor when he/she uses the machine. It is important
that the worker be able to slide assembled bundles of envelopes,
rather than pick them up. This also allows the worker chair rotation
and the worker is able to face the String-Tying Machine.
f) Provide a stock clamp and a two-position switch on the String-Tying
Machine.
By providing the stock clamp, the worker does not have to use hand
force to compress the bundle of envelopes being tied.
The two-position switch would work as follows: the first positions
would close the stock clamp, and the second position would activate
the string-tying arm.
g) Tie the envelope bundles and slide them across the table.
After being slid across the table, the bundles will be dumped into
the receiving mail bags.

Issued

1989-02-06 00:00:00

Abate by

1989-03-06 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $630.00