OSHA Inspection: BOTTLING GROUP, LLC

Issued

Jun 10, 2004

Abate by

Feb 17, 2009

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $4,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish a place of employment that was free from recognized hazards that
were causing or likely
to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees
were required to perform
material handling tasks involving ergonomic risk factors including, but
not limited to, forceful
exertions, repetitive motions, and awkward postures occurring for
prolonged durations which
had caused, are causing, or are likely to cause injuries:
a.Beginning on or about December 16, 2003, and continuing at least through
at
least December 19, 2003, bay delivery drivers and full service drivers were
observed performing repeated manual lifting/lowering, pushing, pulling,
bending,
reaching, twisting, and other tasks associated with the delivery of
product from
trucks or trailers to customer establishments.  These actions required
employees
to handle items such as boxes of syrup and beverage cases, to remove
plastic
shrink wrap from products, and to frequently manually transport loads
weighing
up to 845 pounds on carts, exposing employees to hazards which had caused,
are
causing or are likely to cause serious injuries involving the back,
shoulder, and
arm.
Abatement:
While some risk factors can be reduced or eliminated by implementing a
single means
of abatement, in most cases a process that includes analysis of the
worksite, medical
management, training and education of employees (in both recognition of
injury and
avoidance of injury), and hazard prevention and control will provide the
most effective
method of addressing the risk factors.  The employer may adopt any
measures that are
effective in reducing or eliminating the risk factors.  Examples of such
measures include:
Engineering controls:
1)  On bay delivery and full-service trucks/trailers, provide devices such
as grab handles,
pull-out steps, and portable platforms to reduce bending, twisting, and
elevated and
extended reaches.
2)  Provide plastic shells with easily accessible handles or handholds
which can be lifted
with a power grip, and an underside surface that allows the packaged
bottles to be pulled
with minimal force across stacks.
3)  Provide appropriate material handling equipment such as hand trucks
with stair
climbers, powered stair climbers, 2-wheel and 4-wheel hand trucks, curb
ramps, etc.,
as appropriate per assessment of the delivery site.
4)  Provide drivers with shrink-wrap/plastic cutter, such as a letter
slitter hand letter
opener.
Administrative Controls:
1)  Ensure, to the extent possible, that heavy product such as 5-gallon
bag-in-box is
delivered to, and stored at about two to four feet above floor level.  If
areas above or
below this range must be used for storage, provide smaller size bag-in-box
product.
2)  Do not allow the use of equipment which is not properly maintained;
for example,
do not load wheel well bays if pull-out steps aren't functioning properly,
and eliminate
the use of the bay if the bay door is malfunctioning.
3)  On bay delivery and full service trucks/trailers, load lighter product
(i.e., 12 oz cans)
in the elevated bays; load heavier product (i.e., 8-pack 2-liter bottles)
in lower bays.
4)  On a daily basis for each bay deliver truck/trailer, provide an
accurate
load diagram
to the driver on each product's location in each bay.
5)  Instruct sales representatives to evaluate and ensure, to the extent
possible, that
pathways are clear of obstruction or confinement prior to delivery of the
product.
6)  Provide employee training on the proper selection and use of hand
trucks such as the
use of hand trucks with stair climbers where product has to be maneuvered
over a curb
or where an adequate ramp is not present.
7)  Train employees about the importance of keeping the load close to the
body during
lifting and minimizing the amount of weight lifted at one time.  Implement
a standard
positioning practice to, slide the product close to the body before
lifting and lift only one
case of heavy product, such as bag-in-boxes, case of 20-ounce bottles, or
8-pack 2-liter
bottles at a time.
Work Practice Controls:
1)  Ensure loading of product in bay does not restrict access to inside
grab handles.
2)  On bay delivery and full service trucks/trailers, ensure that
employees complete pre-
and post-trip inspections and that maintenance information is documented
and
communicated to the service department so that deficiencies in bay doors,
door straps,
pull-out steps, etc., are promptly fixed.  Bay doors and pull-out steps
should be
maintained in accordance with manufacturer's specifications.
3)  Maintain pneumatic handtruck tires to the manufacturer's recommended
tire pressure.
4)  Prior to bringing product into an establishment evaluate the site and
ensure a clear
path and ample work space so employees do not need to work in confined,
restricted, or
awkward postures.  Some examples of methods to facilitate proper work
postures
include:
*Provide devices such as wedges or straps to hold doors open when the
situation allows.
*Where the normal delivery entrance presents a hindrance due to
obstructions in pathways, stairs, or steep ramps, use an alternate entry to
reduce exposure to difficult material handling tasks.
*Ensure that there is adequate space at the delivery site so employees can
access all products on hand trucks without extended reaches.
5)  Avoid unnecessary lifting of hand trucks such as when stacking empty
hand trucks
on top of each other for transport from the establishment to the
truck/trailer or storing
hand trucks in bays of the truck/trailer, especially in the elevated bays
over the wheels.
6)  Avoid impaired visibility and load instability by limiting load
height.  On 4-wheel
hand trucks avoid stacking product above the push bar; on a 2-wheel hand
truck
do not
stack product above the load bar at the top of the hand truck.
7)  Ensure that medically recommended job-restrictions are followed.
8)  On bay delivery and full service trucks/trailers ensure that drop-down
or pull-out
shelving is moved out of the way, or properly positioned, to provide
maximum
accessibility to products during unloading.
ABATEMENT CERTIFICATION IS REQUIRED.TION

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Penalty

Initial $1,700 · Current $1,700

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Penalty

Initial $2,125 · Current $2,125

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Penalty

Current $4,250

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Penalty

Initial $2,125

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Penalty

Current $1,000

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 24, 2003

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 6, 2004

Issued

Dec 19, 2003

Abate by

Dec 24, 2003