OSHA Inspection: FRUIT OF THE LOOM

Issued

Jul 20, 1993

Abate by

May 31, 1996

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $2,700 Reduced

General-duty citation text

The employer is not limited to the abatement methods suggested by OSHA;
the methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases;
and the employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an
effective
abatement method.
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)  Sew Panel:  Employees perform a sewing operation where
material sections are attached to each other.  This task
requires various ergonomic stressors such as, but not limited
to frequent left arm lifts an pinch grips, long periods of
static torso flexion and head tilting, and long term sitting
in an inadequate chair which create an access of exposure
to cumulative trauma disorders.
Some feasible and acceptable methods to correct these hazards
include, but are not limited to the following:
1)  Create a job rotation schedule that allows for as much
variation as possible in the distribution and frequency of
musculoskeletal activity.
2)  Develop and enforce a work-rest schedule consisting of
a minimum of 15 minute rest breaks at least every two hours.
3)  Redesign the job to eliminate repetitive arm lifting
tasks.
4)  Create a cutout in the work surface directly behind the
zipper foot such that the finished product can be pushed
through it without employees lifting their arms to stack
the product on a finish pile.
5)  Reorient the materials on the work surface such that
elevated reaches are minimized and extended reaches are
limited.
6)  Reduce the width of the shelf between the employee and
the sewing machine.
7)  Provide employees with an adjustable work surface which
can be adjusted in the vertical plane and also can be tilted
toward employees such that employees can work without flexing
the torso forward more than about six to ten degrees from
vertical.
8)  Provide a fully adjustable seat and adequate leg room.
(B)  Bind Leg:  Employees perform a sewing operation where
binding is attached to the leg sections of underwear.  This
task requires various ergonomic stressors such as, but not
limited to frequent left arm lifts and abduction, pinch
grips, wrist deviation, long periods of static torso flexion
and head tilting and long term sitting in an inadequate chair
which create an access of exposure to cumulative trauma
disorders.
Some feasible and acceptable methods to correct these hazards
include, but are not limited to the following:
1)  Create a job rotation schedule that allows for as much
variation aspossible in the distribution and frequency of
musculoskeletal activity.
2)  Develop and enforce a work-rest schedule consisting of
a minimum of 15 minute rest breaks at least every two hours.
3)  Redesign the job to eliminate repetitive arm lifting
tasks.
4)  Create a cutout in the work surface directly behind the
zipper foot such that the finished product can be pushed
through it without employees lifting their arms to stack
the product on a finish pile.
5)  Reorient the materials on the work surface such that
elevated reaches are minimized and extended reaches are
limited.
6)  Reduce the width of the shelf between the employee and
the sewing machine.
7)  Provide employees with an adjustable work surface which
can be adjusted in the vertical plane and also can be tilted
toward employees such that employees can work without flexing
the torso forward more than about six to ten degrees form
vertical.
8)  Educate employees on the basics of body biomechanics
and the importance of maintaining the wrist in an
ergonomically neutral position.
(C)  First Side:  Employees perform a sewing operation to
stitch the sides of a pair of underwear together.  This task
requires various ergonomic stressors such as, but not limited
to frequent left arm lifts and abduction, pinch grips, wrist
deviation, long periods of static torso flexion and head
tilting, and long term sitting in an inadequate chair which
create an access of exposure to cumulative trauma disorders.
Some feasible and acceptable methods to correct these hazards
include, but are not limited to the following:
1)  Create a job rotation schedule that allows for as much
variation as possible in the distribution and frequency of
musculoskeletal activity.
2)  Develop and enforce a work-rest schedule consisting of
a minimum of 15 minute rest breaks at least every two hours.
3)  Remove the entire left side and front of the work table
and replace it with a basket to hold finished product.
4)  Educate employees in the techniques which can be used
to align material sections while minimizing the amount of
elbow abduction performed.
5)  Reduce the width of, or remove the shelf between the
employee and the sewing machine.
6)  Provide employees with an adjustable work surface which
can be adjusted in the vertical plane and also can be tilted
toward employees such that employees can work without flexing
the torso forward more than about six to ten degrees from
vertical.
7)  Provide adjustment in the foot actuator.
8)  Educate employees on the basics of body biomechanics
and the importance of maintaining the wrist in an
ergonomically neutral position.
9)  Provide a fully adjustable seat and adequate leg room.
(D)  Elastic:  Employees perform a sewing operation where
elastic is attached to the waist band of underwear.  This
task requires various ergonomic stressors such as, but not
limited to frequent arm lifts and reaches, pinch grips, wrist
deviation, long periods of static torso flexion and head
tilting, and long term sitting in an inadequate chair which
create an access of exposure to cumulative trauma disorders.
Some feasible and acceptable methods to correct these hazards
include, but are not limited to the following:
1)  Create a job rotation schedule that allows for as much
varistion as possible in teh distribution and frequencyof
musculoskeletal activity.
2)  Develop and enforce a work-rest schedule consisting of
a minimum of 15 minutes rest breaks at least every two hours.
3)  Redesign the job to eliminate repetitive arm lifting
tasks.
4)  Reduce the width of, or remove the shelf between the
employee and the sewing machine.
5)  Educate employees on the basics of body biomechanics
and the importance of maintaining the wrist in an
ergonomically neutral position.
6)  Provide a fully adjustable seat and adequate leg room.
7)  Provide adjustability in the leg actuator.
(E)  Second Side:  Employees perform a sewing operation to
stitch the fnal side of a pair of underwear.  This task
requires various ergonomic stressors such as, but not limited
to arm lifts and abduction, pinch grips, wrist deviation,
long periods of static torso flexion and head tilting, and
long term sitting in an inadequate chair which create an
access of exposure to cumulative trauma disorders.
Some feasible and acceptable methods to correct these hazards
include, but are not limited to the following:
1)  Create a job rotation schedule that allows for as much
variation as possible in the distribution and frequency of
musculoskeletal activity.
2)  Developand enforce a work-rest schedule consisitng of
a minimum of 15 minute rest breaks at least every two hours.
3)  Remove the entire left side and front of the work table
and replace it with a basket to hold fininshed product.
4)  Educate employees in techniques which can be used to
align material sections while minimizing the amount of elbow
abduction performed.
5)  Provide a fully adjustable foot treadle such that
employees can move to a proper position in relation to the
sewing machine and then adjust the foot treadle both
vertically and horizontally for activiation.
6)  Reduce the wqidth of, or remove the shelf between the
employee and the sewing machine.
7)  Provide employees with an adjustable work surface which
can be adjusted in the vertical plane and also can be tilted
toward employees such that the employees can work without
flexing the to so forward more than about six to ten degrees
from vertical.
8)  Educate employees on the basics of bodybiomechanics and
the importance of maintaining the wrist in an ergonomically
neutral position.
9)  Provide a fully adjustable seat and adequate leg room.
(F)  Examine:  Employees examine finished product for
defects.  This task requires various ergonomic stressors
such as, but not limited to frequent extended reaches, finger
exertions, and long periods of standing which create and
access of exposure to cumulative trauma disorders.
Some feasible and acceptable methods to correct these hazards
include, but are not limited to the following:
1)  Create a job rotation schedule that allows for as much
variation as possible in the distribution and frequency of
musculoskeletal activity.
2)  Develope and enforce a work-rest schedule consisting
of a minimum of 15 minute rest breaks at least every two
hours.
3)  Provide full adjustability in the work station and in
the placement of the jig in relationship to the rest of the
workstation.
4)  Eliminate this task entirely by having the employees
who perform the final closing also perform the inspection
and assign employees currently performing the examination
to additional sewing stations in order to make up the
production defecit.
5)  Design a jig which opens and closes when activated such
that the garmet could be easily slid on and off.
6)  Investigate the applicability of using sit/stand stools
so employees can adjust the positions which they work to
minimize the amount of loading on any one muscle group.
7)  Provide foot rests four to six inches above the floor
allowing employees to rest one leg while standing.
MULTI-STEP ABATEMENT:
Step 1:  Initiate effective administrative controls such as,
but not limited to alternative wage payment systems,
modular or cellular manufacturing, ergonomic
awareness
training for all employees and inclusion of
production workers on the ergonomics committee.
Step 2:  Analyze all job classifications in every depratment
to identify sources of cumulative trauma.
Step 3:  Submit written, detailed reports once a month for
six months to the Area Director outlining
engineering and/or administrative controls
implemented to abate ergonomic hazards.

Issued

Jul 20, 1993

Abate by

Jul 26, 1993

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,000 Reduced

Issued

Jul 20, 1993

Abate by

Sep 3, 1993

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,800 Reduced