OSHA Inspection: SAFETY-NASHVILLE-FIELD OFFICE

Issued

Sep 16, 2003

Abate by

Feb 20, 2004

General-duty citation text

T.C.A. 50-3-105(1):  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:
On 8-26-03, employees were exposed to repetitive motion through typing,
keying in information
and micro filming documents resulting in Cumulative Trauma Disorders. Some
employees have
had surgery due to the CTD's. Several entries on the OSHA 300 Log indicate
that employees
suffer from numbness and weakness in the hands and wrists. There were also
some injuries due
to lifting. Employees interviewed said they have pain in their hands and
wrists from typing and
keying in information all day long on a daily basis. They also have to
remove staples from
documents and they said doing this all day long on a daily basis causes
pain in the hands and
wrists. Several employees were observed wearing hand/wrist splints and
braces.
Feasible abatement for this violation could include, but is not limited
to, the establishment and
implementation of an EFFECTIVE Ergonomics Program that includes the
following
1.A job hazard analysis to determine the potential ergonomic hazards
associated
with the
jobs where numerous CTD incidents were reported.
2.Effective engineering, administrative, or work practice controls to
minimize the potential
for CTD incidents.
3.Effective training for employees to recognize CTD risks and how to
minimize them.
4.Effective training for supervisors and managers to recognize CTD risks
and how to
minimize them, and how to manage an Ergonomics Program.
5.Medical management of CTD cases.

Issued

Sep 16, 2003

Abate by

Feb 20, 2004