Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 2000-0316-2811: Material Sciences Corporation, Pinole Point Steel, Richmond, California

Details

• Personal Author:
  Habes, Daniel J.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On June 7, 2000, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) from the Director of Environmental Safety and Health at Material Sciences Corporation, Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The request stated that workers at the company's Pinole Point Steel facility, located in Richmond, California, were experiencing strain to the lower back and arms while performing a zinc pot skimming operation. The request also stated that over the years there had been two confirmed cases of carpal tunnel syndrome among workers performing the job. A NIOSH ergonomist evaluated one worker performing the pot skimming operation on June 27 and 28, 2000. A biomechanical and lifting analysis indicated that the forces and moments at the joints on the left side of the body, particularly at the shoulder, and at the low back from lifting a long-handled spoon of dross weighing 40 pounds, were high and beyond the capabilities of all but the strongest of workers. One worker had recently injured his left wrist while performing the pot skimming task, and historically there have been many complaints by workers of strain to the arms and lower back. The results of the NIOSH investigation indicate that the unassisted lifting of dross while skimming the zinc pot is beyond the capability of most workers. Heat and awkward postures of the shoulder and trunk while skimming and performing other essential job activities increase the biomechanical and physical load on the worker. Recommendations for reducing the physical demands of the pot skimming task are included in this report.
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Metal Workers Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Foundries Foundry Workers Galvanizing Of Iron And Steel And End Formed Products, For The Trade Hazard Confirmed Lifting Dross Manual Lifting Manual Materials Handling Musculoskeletal System Disorders Pot Skimming Region 9 Repetitive Work

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA200003162811
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  18 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Smith, Robin F.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20021120
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2002-108254
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 2000-0316-2811, 2000 Oct ; :1-12
• Editor(s):
  Arthur, Penny
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3479 - Metal coating and allied services - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c06220925c836dbd742955999b7858eb263f648b55d5802b75f1323bfcf419bda9bb490acb9db42a5583bbbc47f406287c719c82d147ce54a3ddf8894077f6cf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170954/cdc_170954_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 256.31 KB ]