OSHA Inspection: OFFSET PAPERBACK MANUFACTURERS

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

May 5, 1991

Penalty

Initial $640 · Current $580 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
increased risk of cumulative trauma disorders from the tasks that they
were performing and administrative or engineering controls were not
provided:
a) Press Area, Bindery Department, employees lifting and carrying
bundles of pages, book covers etc, from pallets on floor to gathering
tables; the evaluation of these manual lifting tasks indicate that
employees are exposed to an increased risk of developing
muscuskeletal injuries. The injury and illness records from 1988 and
1989 documented a pattern of musculoskeletal injuries.
AMONG OTHER METHODS ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE METHOD TO CORRECT THIS
HAZARD IS TO IMPLEMENT ENGINEERING AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS WHICH
INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
1) Use team lifting (2 person lift) for heavy units.
2) Units be put together in smaller quantities.
3) Use pallet jacks, scissor jacks or lifts, hydraulic lifts to place
units at optimum heights.
4) Increase worker rotation.
5) Implement job safety analysis and review to insure use of proper
lifting technique by employees at all times.
Abatement Schedule
Step 1 - Effective administrative protection such as employee training,
physical assessment, job rotation, etc. shall be provided as
an interim protective measure until feasible engineering or
permanent administrative controls can be implemented which will
reduce employee exposure to nominal risk.
Step 2 - Submit to the Area Director a written, detailed plan of abate-
ment outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering
or administrative measures to control employee injury due to
manual lifting tasks.
Engineering controls to reduce musculoskeletal stresses include
but are not limited to job redesign, reduction of the
horizontal and vertical load distance from the body, reduction
of the lifting frequency, or weight, and use of mechanical
lifting aids.  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(s).
3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected control
measures.
ALL PROPOSED CONTROL MEASURES SHALL BE APPROVED FOR EACH
PARTICULAR USE BY A PERSON TRAINED IN THE EVALUATION OF
WORKPLACE CONDITIONS WHICH CAUSE MUSCOLOSKELETAL DISORDERS.
THIRTY (30) DAY PROGRESS REPORTS ARE REQUIRED DURING THE
ABATEMENT PERIOD.
Step 3 - Develop a rehabilitation program for injured workers.  The
program is expected to include exercise, building stamina,
training in safe lifting techniques, work conditioning and
demonstration that the worker is able to resume work.
Step 4 - Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of
feasible engineering and/or administrative controls.  Where
the lifting task analyses in NIOSH's Work Practices Guide for
Manual Lifting has been utilized, compliance will be achieved
when the calculated action level is met.

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Penalty

Initial $480 · Current $240 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Penalty

Initial $400 · Current $200 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Penalty

Initial $400 · Current $200 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Oct 12, 1990

Penalty

Initial $480 · Current $240 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Penalty

Initial $320 · Current $160 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Sep 12, 1990

Penalty

Initial $560 · Current $280 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Sep 12, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Oct 12, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 28, 1990

Penalty

Initial $480 · Current $240 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 28, 1990

Penalty

Initial $320 · Current $160 Reduced

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 18, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 28, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 28, 1990

Issued

Aug 13, 1990

Abate by

Aug 28, 1990