OSHA Inspection: ST ANNE OF WINONA/CALISTA COURT

Issued

Sep 26, 2002

Abate by

Oct 24, 2002

General-duty citation text

Minn. Stat. 182.653 subd. 2:  The employer did not furnish to each
employee, conditions of employment and a place of employment free
from recognized hazards which caused or were likely to cause death
or serious injury to employees, specifically:
The safety and health program at the site did not meet all
aspects of the AWAIR program requirements and was deficient in
the reduction and/or prevention of musculoskeletal disorders
associated with employee's resident handling/assistance
responsibilities.
a.30 days - Identify an AWAIR goal specific to reducing the
incidence of Cumulative Trauma Disorders in performing
resident handling.
b 60 days - Track injury and illness records to identify
patterns of traumas and strains that may indicate the
development of cumulative trauma disorders.
c.90 days - Communicate both Part A and Part B with staff.
Abatement Guidelines:
Step 1: Fully develop an effective ergonomics program to reduce
the incidence of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) with the
following elements:
a)Management commitment and employee involvement -
Management will provide the organizational resources and
motivating force necessary to deal effectively with
ergonomic  hazards. Employee involvement and feedback
through clearly established procedures are important in
the identification of existing and potential hazards and
to the development and implementation of effective
abatement.
b)Analysis of the work station - Actively analyze both the
work and the work site, to anticipate and prevent harmful
occurrences.  This will include close scrutiny and
tracking of injury and illness records to identify
patterns of traumas or strains that may indicate the
development of musculoskeletal disorders.
c)Medical management of the injured worker - Appropriate
medical treatment is sought where early development of
MSD is recognized, and the recommendations of good
medical management are rigorously followed, preventing
recurrence of a disorder or re-exposure of a worker to
ergonomic hazards.
d)Worker training and education - The employees should be
given formal instruction  describing various hazards that
are associated with their jobs and with their equipment.
This instruction includes the varieties of MSD, and the
means of prevention, causes, early symptoms, treatment of
MSD and proper equipment use for both left- and righthanded workers.  The
instruction is repeated for each
employee as necessary, but at least once a year.
Step 2:  Perform job task analysis for the jobs involving
resident/patient handling.  The tasks should be broken
down into the physical motions that are required to
perform the task.  The job task analysis shall be
performed by a technically qualified person with specific
training in ergonomics and occupational medicine.  From
the information gathered, identify the movements in the
job that are responsible for the repetitive trauma
illnesses frequently associated with the jobs in that
department.  Stressful postures that require
overextension of the joints should be reduced or
eliminated from the job.
Step 3: Submit to the director a written detailed plan of
abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of
engineering and/or administrative measures to control the
incidence of MSDs. This plan shall include, at a minimum,
target dates for the following actions:
a)The ergonomic program as outlined in Step 1 of the
"Abatement Guidelines." Including management commitment,
workstation/job task analysis, training and education,
and medical management.
b)Evaluation of feasible engineering/administrative control
options.
c)Procurement of selected tools/equipment and/or equipment
modifications.
d)Selection of optimum worker rotation and establishment of
the rotation program.
A technically qualified person shall approve all control
measures proposed for each particular use.
Step 4: Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation
of an effective ergonomics program, feasible engineering
and/or administrative controls and upon verification of
their effectiveness in achieving compliance.

Issued

Sep 26, 2002

Abate by

Oct 24, 2002

Penalty

Initial $1,200 · Current $840 Reduced

Issued

Sep 26, 2002

Abate by

Oct 6, 2002