OSHA Inspection: G & J PEPSI-COLA BOTTLERS, INC.

Issued

Jul 2, 2010

Abate by

Mar 18, 2013

Penalty

Initial $4,500 · Current $3,000 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 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, such as serious
injuries of the back, shoulder, arm, wrist, hand and leg:
a)  Beginning on or about July 14, 2009 and continuing through the
present, delivery drivers and
product merchandisers, who worked out of the G & J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers,
Inc. Hamilton, OH
warehouse and distribution facility, were observed performing repeated
manual lifting/lowering,
pushing, pulling, bending, reaching, twisting and other tasks associated
with the delivery and
placement of Pepsi-Cola products from trucks or trailers to and within
customer
establishments.
These actions required employees to handle such items as bag-in-boxes of
syrup and beverage
cases, to remove plastic shrink wrap from pallets of product, and to
frequently manually
transport loads weighing up to 1000 pounds on a cart or dolly, on all
manner of surfaces
including stairs, exposing employees to hazards which had caused, are
causing, or are likely to
cause serious injuries involving the back, shoulder, arm, wrist, hand and
leg.  The company
provided adjustable shelves in the bays, but the shelves were set at an
awkward height, being
too high for shorter employees to reach without considerable effort and
too low for taller
employees, who struck their heads on the shelves while trying to reach
into the lower bay.
ABATEMENT:  While some risk factors can be eliminated or reduced 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 measures that are
effective in reducing or
eliminating the risk factors, such as the recommendations from the July
1996 NIOSH document
"Ergonomic Intervention for the Soft Drink Industry."  Hazard prevention
and control include
implementation of feasible engineering controls, where possible, prior to
implementing
administrative and work practice controls.  Some examples of engineering
controls which may
be effective in this workplace include:  1.  Using 2-wheel manual carts
with a third wheel that
flips down and/or a 3-wheel powered stair-climber to employees.  Providing
2-wheel and/or 4-
wheel manual handcarts with brakes to enable employees to maintain control
of the load and its
speed with minimal effort and exertion when it is traveling down a slope.
2.  Installing devices
on bay delivery and full service trucks/trailers such as grab handles,
pull out steps and portable
platforms to reduce bending, twisting and extended reaches.  3.
Installing removable drop down
shelves to permit direct and easy access to low volume products adjusted
at levels are compatible
with various driver body types.  4.  Providing functional handhold cutouts
on all bag-in-boxes
and cardboard cases to improve grip.  5.  Labeling cardboard boxes and
cases on all sides to
reduce time and motion spent on manually handling the product.  6.
Placing plastic slip sheets
between stacks of product for ease of movement when pulling product
forward.  7.  Providing
door wedges to drivers to enable the drivers to securely prop open doors
through which they
must transport heavy loads.  8.  Providing retractable utility knives to
employees remove shrink
wrap from stacks of product.  9.  Providing adequate curb ramps on each
delivery and servicetruck.  10.  Providing reduced volume bag-in-box
containers, which are lighter and easier to
handle.
Administrative controls can be implemented to reduce the duration,
frequency and severity of
exposure to manual material handling hazards.  These controls may include
job reduction of
repetitions and preventive maintenance of related equipment.  Some
examples of administrative
controls that may apply to this workplace include:  1.  Maximizing the use
of "pocket loading"
to eliminate or substantially reduce the need to rearrange product on the
truck by the drivers and
take advantage of the customer's ability to "fork off" skids where
available.  2.  When "pocket
loading" is not an option, ensuring that products of the same flavor and
type are stacked together
from the back to the front of each bay.  3.  Providing, on a daily basis,
an accurate load
diagram of each product's location in each bay in each truck to reduce
multiple handling of
products during delivery.  4.  Ensuring bay doors, bay door straps and
blades on utility knives
are properly maintained and in working order.  Ensuring that all handcarts
and dollies are
maintained in good condition.  5.  Ensuring daily coordination between
employees who load the
trucks and the drivers to minimize manual material handling.  6.
Providing
employee training
on the proper selection and use of hand trucks, e.g. hand trucks with
stair climbers where
product has to be maneuvered over a curb or doorstep.  7.  Training
employees about (1) the
importance of keeping the load close to the body during lifting and (2)
minimizing the amount
of weight lifted at one time.  Implementing a standard positioning
practice of sliding the product
close to the body before lifting and lifting only one heavy product, such
as a bag-in-box, case
of 20 ounce bottles or 8 pack of 2 liter bottles at a time.
Work practice controls can be implemented to include proper work
techniques and new employee
conditioning.  Some examples of work practice controls which may apply to
this workplace may
include:  1.  Avoiding over stacking of dollies to prevent impaired
visibility and to increase load
stability.  2.  Ensuring the use of curb ramps and door stops/wedges.  3.
Prior to bringing
product into an establishment evaluating the site and ensuring a clear
path and ample work space
so employees do not need to work in confined, restricted or awkward
postures.  Examples of
methods to facilitate proper work postures include:  Where the normal
delivery entrance is
obstructed, using an alternate entry.  Ensuring that there is adequate
space at the delivery site
so employees can access all products on hand trucks with out extended
reaches.  4.  Setting
lifting and loading limits for personnel, dollies and carts.  5.  Ensuring
that medically
recommended job restrictions are followed.  6.  On bay delivery and full
service trucks/trailers
ensuring that drop down  or pull out shelving is repositioned, when
necessary, to provide
maximum access to products.

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Aug 18, 2010

Penalty

Current $1,200

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jul 28, 2010

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $700 Reduced

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jul 28, 2010

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $350 Reduced

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jul 28, 2010

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $700 Reduced

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jul 28, 2010

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $350 Reduced

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jul 28, 2010

Penalty

Initial $900 · Current $700 Reduced

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jan 13, 2010

Issued

Jan 8, 2010

Abate by

Jul 28, 2010