OSHA Inspection: AMERICAN FOODSERVICE CORP.

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1991-10-19 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $630.00 · Current $430.00 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 development cumulative trauma disorders from the tasks
they were performing and effective administrative or engineering control
was not provided:
a) Employees in the raytheon area move 60 pound boxes of frozen meat
from a spring loaded lift table and place them on a work table to
be opened, December 14, 1989.
b) Employees in the whopper palletizing area remove 36 pound boxes of
frozen hamburger patties (Burger King whoppers) from a conveyor and
place them on wooden floor pallets, December 14, 1989.
The evaluation of this manual lifting task indicates that employees are
exposed to an increased risk of (back) musculoskeletal injuries based
upon studies of populations exposed to similar lifting conditions. The
injury and illness recores for 1987 and 1988 documented a pattern of
musculoskeletal injuries.
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 conrols can be implemented which will
reduce employee exposure to nominal risk.
STEP 2 - Submit to the Area Director a written, detailed plan of
abatement 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 of weight, and use of mechanical lifting aids.
STEP 2 - 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.
3) Procurement, installation and operation of selected control
measures.
ALL PROPOSED CONTROL MEASURES SHALL BE APPROVED FOR EACH
PARTICULAR USE OF A PERSON TRAINED IN THE EVALUATION OF
WORKPLACE CONDITIONS WHICH CAUSE MUSCULOSKELETAL 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

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $450.00 · Current $250.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $630.00 · Current $430.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $450.00 · Current $250.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-09 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $630.00 · Current $530.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-04 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $450.00 · Current $250.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $360.00 · Current $260.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $450.00 · Current $250.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-20 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $540.00 · Current $340.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $630.00 · Current $430.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-26 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $540.00 · Current $340.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1991-10-19 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $6300.00 · Current $1000.00 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 developing cumulative trauma disorders from the tasks
that they were performing and administrative or engineering controls
were not provided or were ineffective:
a) Whopper and marriot packers manually transfer frozen hamburger
patties from a moving conveyor to cardboard boxes, December 7, 1989.
The evaluation of this repetitive motion task indicates that employees
are exposed to an increased risk of repetitive motion wrist/arm injuries
based upon studies of populations exposed to similar conditions. The
injury and illness records for 1987 and 1988 documented a pattern of
repetitive motion injuries.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct this hazard is the formulation and implementation of a
comprehensive repetitive strain injury prevention programs. This
program should include, at a minimum, the following elements:
1) Periodic identification of all employees with symptoms generally
associated with repetitive motion disorders. This permits appropriate
and timely evaluation and treatment before the symptoms disable the
employee. Periodic identification should detect any significant
change in the prevalence incidence, and/or location of the reported
symptoms. It will also help to determine the effectiveness of the
medical management and ergonomic programs.
2) Ergonomic assessment of each existing, planned, new and modified
operation to identify ergonomic stressors which may be produced by
the environment, tools or work methods. Ergonomic job hazard analysis
should then be routinely performed by qualified persons for operation
which have been identified as putting workers at risk of developing
cumulative trauma disorders. The analysis will serve to establish
effective, safe job procedures, to verify low risk factors for light
duty work, and to determine if risk factors (stressors) for a
position have been reduced or eliminated to the extent feasible.
3) Implementation of control measures for reducing job repetitiveness.
The following specific methods should be considered at the cited
operations.
a) Continue to investigate the feasibllity of automating the packing
operation.
b) Provide scheduled employee break periods at greater frequency
than the current two (2) fifteen (15) minute breaks per day.
c) Reduce speed of production line or increase number of packers.
4) Implementation of control measures for reducing biomechanical forces.
The following specific methods should be considered at the cited
operation:
a) Use wheeled work tales which can be used to transport the full box
from the packing to the take-away conveyors, thus eliminating
lifting and carrying.
b) Install rounded lip on the packing conveyor edge fence to
eliminate the sharp upper edge.
c) Design and utilize a hamburger stack lifting hand tool to reduce/
eliminate the need to grasp hamburger patty stacks between thumb
and fingers.
5) Implementation of control measure to reduce awkward postures.
The following specific methods should be considered at the cited
operations:
a) Train employees to angle from axis of body at a 45 degree angle
between the work table and the conveyor to reduce the stress of
working to the side of their bodies.
b) Rotate positions within a line and between lines to permit the
use of different muscle/tendon groups.
c) Reposition the take-away conveyor on the marriot lines to
elimate unsafe lift (forceful pinch grip on box lid flaps and
lift above and away from waist).
d) Lower and tilt separator paper dispensers on the marriot lines to
eliminate excessive reach above shoulders.
e) Eliminate need to reach above shoulder to obtain empty boxes.
6) Implementation of general measures to reduce cumulative trauma
injury.
a) Protection against workplace cold temperatures (below 40 degrees
Farenheit) is necessary to minimize stress on already overworked
joints. Employees should be instructed in proper clothes selection
to be adequately insulated.
b) Proper glove selection is essential so as not to increase
ergonomic stressors. Gloves that are too thick or that fit
improperly can reduce blood circumlation and sensory feedback,
contribute to elippage and require excessive grip strength. Glove
should be provided in a range of sizes sufficient to accommodate
variations in physical sizes of employees.
c) Housekeeping procedures should be altered to prevent walking/
working surfaces from becoming slippery. Water used to clean the
facility should be removed from the floor before the start of the
day shift. Meat scraps should be frequently cleaned from
production area floors.
7) Training sessions to familiarize managers, supervisors and employees
with the various cumulative trauma disorders and with their causes,
symptoms, prevention and treatment. Employees should be given job
specific training in the types of movement and postures which can
reduce the chance of cumulative trauma strains. After training proper
work procedures should be monitored, feedback from employees received
adjustments made and proper procedures enforced.
8) Medical Management Program for the prevention and treatment of
cumulative trauma disorders should be established. The program should
contain the following elements:
a) A trained and available health care provider should conduct
periodic systematic workplace walk-throughs to become
knowledgeable about operations and work practices, to identify
potential light duty jobs and potential cumulative trauma disorder
stressors. The periodic symptom survey indicated in element number
one can be conducted by the health care provider.
b) All new and reassogmed employees who are to be assigned to job
involving exposure to cumulative trauma should be given initial
and annual health examinations. The purpose is to establish a
base against which changes in health status can be evaluated, not
to preclude people from the job. The annual examination can detect
early signs of cumulative trauma disorders so appropriate measures
can be instituted so a more serious condition can be prevented.
c) New employees and employees who have returned to work after a
cumulative trauma disorder should be given the opportunity to
condition their muscle/tendon nerve groups to working at full
capacity. This could be accomplished though a slower paced lines
or light duty jobs.
ABATEMENT NOTE:
STEP 1 - Effective administrative protection, such as employee training,
medical management, job rotation, etc. shall be provided as an
interim a 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 plant of
abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of
engineering or administrative measures to control employees
injury due to repetitive motion tasks. 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) Ertonomic evaluation of the repetitive motion tasks that
employees are performing at the cited operations.
2) Evaluation of applicable control measures.
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 REPETITIVE MOTION DISORDERS.
(30) DAY PROGRESS REPORTS ARE REQUIRED DURING THE ABATEMENT
PERIOD.
STEP 3 - Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation
of feasible engineering and/or administrative controls, upon
verification of their effectiveness in reducing the occurence
of repetitive motion injuries.

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $900.00 · Current $500.00 Reduced

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $90.00 · Current $90.00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $90.00 · Current $90.00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-26 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-04 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-04 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-04-16 00:00:00

Issued

1990-03-15 00:00:00

Abate by

1990-03-26 00:00:00