OSHA Inspection: HASBRO INC.

Issued

Jul 19, 1994

Abate by

Jan 18, 1995

Penalty

Initial $2,975 · Current $2,975

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the OSHAct 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 hazards associated with
working in the
Blowmold Department, of repetitive hand, wrist, and finger operations
which could result in
injuries including, but not limited to tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome,
and repetitive strain
injuries of the shoulders, elbow and wrist in that:
(a)Employees working on machine #14 manufacturing the HB 76 Hub
Assembly were exposed to the known hazards of:  (1) frequent
elevated and extended reaches; (2) forceful thumb exertions when
pushing the hub into the wheel unit; and, (3) long periods of
standing.
Some feasible means to control these hazards are: 1! Lower and relocate
employees in relationship to all work items so that reach elevations and
distances
can be limited to ergonomically desirable levels.  Reaches should be no
higher
than about mid-chest to shoulder height and limited to no more than 16 to
17
inches.  2! Provide employees with a press which will apply the pressure
to push
the parts together.  3! Develop and enforce work/rest schedules.
Generally, a
minimum of a 15-minute rest break at least every two 2! hours is required.
(b)Employees working on machine #19 manufacturing kiddie links
were exposed to the known hazards of: (1) frequent forceful finger
exertions; (2) elevated and extended reaches used to place items in
the flamer, retrieve items from the main conveyor, and to access
flash waste bins; and, (3) long periods of sitting.
Some feasible means to control these hazards are: 1) Provide a tool to
separate
the product from the flash.  If this task must be performed by hand,
develop a
work rotation which will permit frequent periods of time spent at tasks
which do
not require repeated finger exertions; 2) Relocate employees in
relationship
to all
work items such that reach elevations and distances can be limited to
ergonomically desirable levels.  Reaches should be no higher than about
mid-
chest to shoulder height and limited to no more than 16 to 17 inches; 3)
Provide
a chair that conforms to proper ergonomic principles; 4) If gloves are worn
during manipulations (b)(1) above, they must fit properly.  They must
provide for
maximum tactile sensitivity while also providing for a maximum coefficient
of
friction between the hand and the load surface.
(c)Employees working at machine #20 manufacturing the steering
wheel with bellows were exposed to the known hazards of:  (1)
Frequent torso flexions with the arms extended to the side of the
body to obtain materials from the catch basket at the end of the
conveyor; (2) Repeated, extended and elevated reaches to accessmaterials
from the supply conveyor, to access squeakers from the
supply box, and to place flash into the discard area; and (3)
Repeated finger and thumb force with the wrist in a deviated
posture and with rotation of the forearms.
Some feasible means to control these hazards are: 1) Lower the work table
such
that employees can sit on a regular chair instead of an elevated stool.  An
elevated area should be provided to catch items coming off the belt, such
as a
shelf at the end of the conveyor or an item to provide elevation on which
the
current catch basket could be placed.  The work table and conveyor catch
area
should be aligned in such a manner that employees can access materials
without
repeatedly flexing the torso; 2) Reduce the distance employees must reach
to
perform assembly tasks.  Move the conveyor discharge area closer to
employees.
Tilt supply boxes and reposition discard areas so that employees do not
need to
reach above shoulder height to access items.  Move the flash discard box
down
next to the employee and tilt the squeaker box toward the employee to
reduce the
number of elevated reaches.  The work table should be lowered so that
employees
are in higher orientations and can access items while maintaining
ergonomically
desirable postures; and 3) Develop a jig to place the bellows in, so that
the flash
ends can be cut off instead of pulled apart.  Redesign the squeaker
assembly and
steering wheel such that pieces are glued or screwed together rather than
snapped
into place, develop a rotation scheme so a minimum amount of time is spent
performing strenuous finger actions.
(d)Employees working on machines #24 and #25 manufacturing
revealers were exposed to the known hazards of:  (1) Repeated,
extended and elevated reaches with the elbows abducted away from
the torso to access revealers for flaming; (2) Repetitive reaches
behind the body to place finished revealers into boxes; (3)
deviations of the wrist while exerting finger force to the flaming
device.
Some feasible means to control these hazards are: 1) Reduce the distance
employees must reach to perform assembly tasks; move the finish boxes
closer
to the employee and tilt them so that employees can have adequate access
while
limiting their reaches to ergonomically desirable distances and
elevations; recess
the supply boxes into the work table to reduce the severity of elevated
reaches;
2) Redesign the workstation so that employees have access to the boxes to
be
packed without reaching behind themselves, move the packing box closer to
employee or instruct the employee to rotate around in their seat so they
are facing
the packing box before materials are loaded into it; and 3) The head or
handle of
the flaming device should be bent such that the task can be accomplished
while
the wrist is maintained in a neutral posture.  This device should have the
nozzle
adjusted to reduce the deviation of the wrist.  Each task using the device
should
be analyzed to determine proper alignment necessary to minimize wrist
deviation.
(e)Employees working on machine #18 manufacturing 9" forks were
exposed to the known hazard of repeated depressions of the
activation button on the flaming tool.
One feasible means to control this hazard would be to modify the current
torch
or provide new torches whose activation mechanism is a bar or lever rather
than
a button.
(f)Employees working on machine #10 manufacturing the fitness
walker platform were exposed to the known hazard of repeated use
of finger force with the wrist in a deviated posture to use a straight
in-line knife for manually cutting the center section out of molded
products.
Some feasible means to control these hazards are: 1) Develop a router type
device
which could be used to perform all trim operations; and 2) Instruct
employees to
use a power grip if a straight in-line knife is to be used.
ABATEMENT NOTES:
The following are among other feasible and acceptable abatement methods to
correct these
hazards:
(1)Proper engineering design of the job, work stations, and equipment
so that the work can be performed independent of specific worker
characteristics and techniques, evaluating and modifying as
necessary.  A qualified ergonomic consultant should conduct this
evaluation, seeking employee input.  Jobs should be classified as
to the nature and extent of exertion.
(2)Instituting administrative controls, including the following:
a)Training new employees in safe work techniques
b)Working with minimum strain on the body and minimizing the application
of forces with the fingers
c)Job rotation and job enhancement, allowing for as much variation as
possible in the distribution and frequency of musculoskeletal activity
d)Adequate mandatory rest breaks
e)Implementation of an exercise program
(3)Hiring of a properly trained ergonomic consultant to assist in an
analysis of all jobs, training employees and implementing
therecommendations made.
(4)Implementing a medical management program to monitor
employees and prevent early symptoms from progressing to