OSHA Inspection: KILGORE FINE PLUMBING PRODUCTS

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Apr 25, 1990

Penalty

Initial $800 · Current $800

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
to serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to:
a) Employee(s) in the Casting Department were exposed to improper
lifting techniques, while lifting and finishing bowls of 48-52 pounds
and when be bending over to transfer each piece to the conveyor line
and then to the racks. The injury and illness records for 1987 and
1988 documented that back injuries were plant-wide with an incident
rate of 10.8 for 1987 and 13.5 for 1988 in the Casting Department.
b) Employee(s) in the Molding Department were exposed to improper
lifting techniques while lifting off plaster cases, while pairing
plasters in buckets, and while dipping molds. The incidence rate
was 14.2 for 1987 and 4.34 for 1988.
c) Employee(s) in the Shipping Department were exposed to improper
lifting techniques while lifting products of transfer board into
boxes and stacking them on racks. The incidence rate was 10.4 for
1987 and 6.89 for 1988.
d) Employee(s) in the Checking and Glaze Department were exposed to
improper lifting techniques when taking bowls from racks to the blow-
out booth and set on conveyors to be sprayed. The incidence rate was
0 for 1987 and 9.09 for 1988.
e) Employee(s) in the Spraying Department of the steel plant were
exposed to improper lifting techniques when bending over to spray
bottoms of the bathtubs.  The incidence rate was 10.0 for 1987 and
8.3 for 1988.
f) Employee(s) in the Laborer Department were exposed to improper
lifting techniques when picking up buckets of tools and stacking
products from the line to the pallets. The incidence rate was 5.0
for 1987 and 0 for 1988.
General methods of control include but are not limited to the following:
ABATEMENT NORMALLY WILL BE MULTISTEP AS FOLLOWS:
Step 1-Effective administrative protection, such as employee training,
physical assesment, job rotation, shall be provided as an interim
protective measure until feasible engineering or administrative controls
can be implemented or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee
exposure to minimal risk.
Step 2-Submit to the area director a written detailed plan to abatement
outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and/or
administrative measures to control employee injury due to manual lifting
task.  Engineering controls to reduce musculoskeletal stresses include
but are not limited to; job redesign,  reduction of the lifting
frequency, provide mechanical lifting aids such as overhead hoists to
move bowls from the cast to the rollers and then to the electrical
jacks.
This plan shall include at a minimum, target dates for the following
actions which must be consistent with the dates required by this
citation.
1) Evaluation of the conditions, locations and manual lifting activities
that the employees are performing at the onset of musculoskeletal
injuries.
2) Evaluation of applicable control measures:
3) Procurement, installation, and operation of selected control
measures.
4) Medical history and medical screening of employees involved with
lifting practices, in order to determine previous or existing pre-
disposition to develop back problems.
5) Monitoring of the program effectiveness and/or of the effective
utilization of the control measures.

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Apr 25, 1990

Penalty

Initial $800 · Current $800

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) Employee(s) in the Casting Department were exposed to undue
repetitive motion trauma.  This trauma was due to repeated hand and
wrist exertions causing, aggravating, or precipitating the carpal
Tunnel Syndrome, Tendonitis, numbness of the hands and elbows, and
sprains/strains of the hands and wrists.
Feasible abatement methods include but are not limited to the following;
ABATEMENT NORMALLY WILL BE MULTISTEP AS FOLLOWS:
Step 1 - Submit to the Area Director a written detailed plan of
abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering
and/or administrative measures to control employees injury due
cumulative trauma disorders.
Step 2 - Engineering controls include but are not limited to:
a) Provide mechanical lifting aids such as overhead hoists.
b) Install circulating devices on top of the rollers (lazy susan) that
can be turned around without employee effort.
c) And/or replace the rollers conveyors for circular belt conveyors.
d) Redesign the scrapers to remove the mold seams when bowls harden to
reduce stress on wrists.
e) Provide wrist splints.
Step 3 -
a) Provide pre-employment examinations pertinent to medial nerve
distribution and muscular aberrations, wrist flex test,
electromyelogram (conduction time of nerve and routine evaluation
during employment).
b) Education of employees as to what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is and how
to reduce the effect.
c) Provide exercise sessions before starting to work, during breaks and
at the end of the shifts.
B) Employee(s) in the Spraying Department at the steel plant were
exposed to undue repetive motion trauma.  This trauma was due to
repeated hand and wrist exertions causing, aggravating, or
precipitating the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendonitis, Ganglionic
Cysts, numbness, soreness and swelling of the hands and wrists.
Step 1 - Submit to the Area Director a written detailed plan of
abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering
and/or administrative measures to control employee injury due to
cumulative trauma disorders.
Step 2 - Redesign air guns to reduce stress on wrists.
ALL PROPOSED CONTROL MEASRES SHALL BE APPROVED FOR EACH PARTICULAR USE
BY A COMPETENT INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST OR OTHER TECHNICALLY QUALIFIED
PERSON.
Step 3 -
a) Provide pre-employment examinations pertinent to medial nerve
distribution and muscular aberrations, wrist flex test,
electromyelogram (conduction time of nerve and routine evaluation
during employment).
b) Education of employees as to what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is and how
to reduce the effect.
c) Provide exercise sessions before starting to work, during breaks, and
at the end of the shifts.

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Apr 2, 1990

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $700

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Mar 23, 1990

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Mar 10, 1990

Penalty

Initial $480 · Current $480

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Apr 4, 1990

Penalty

Initial $630 · Current $630

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Apr 2, 1990

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Apr 11, 1990

Penalty

Initial $560 · Current $560

Issued

Mar 9, 1990

Abate by

Mar 10, 1990

Penalty

Initial $4 · Current $4