Ergonomic and Musculoskeletal Evaluation of Distribution Tasks at a Logistics Agency in California

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hatcher, Sarah M. ; Ramsey, Jessica G.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Safety management at a national logistics agency requested a health hazard evaluation to look at ergonomic issues and potential musculoskeletal injuries among employees who performed general warehousing operations. We visited the facility in January 2019 to evaluate ergonomic hazards and musculoskeletal health symptoms of employees. During this site visit, we (1) observed work processes, practices, and workplace conditions, (2) measured workstation heights, and (3) interviewed employees about their work and their health. Interview topics included job tenure, job tasks, relevant medical history, and musculoskeletal health symptoms and concerns. We found that most workstations and areas were not designed to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders
  
  workstations were static and did not adjust and lacked antifatigue mats and adjustable chairs and stools. Employees reported that the most common sites of potential work-related pain were in the back and shoulders stemming from job tasks including packing, unpacking, and working at workstations. We made ergonomic design recommendations for hand working heights on conveyors, reach distances, use of tools instead of reaching, and standing and seated workstations. We also recommended (1) obtaining regular input from employees about workplace safety and health issues, and using this input to improve conditions, and (2) encouraging employees to report health concerns they think are work-related to their supervisors.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Back Pain Distribution Lifting Logistics Manual Lifting Materials Handling MSD MSDs Musculoskeletal Disorders National Security OSHA Region 9 Upper Extremities Warehousing

  More +
• Source:
  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, HHE 2019-0024-3398, 2024 Aug ; :1-24
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE201900243398
• 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:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  24 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Chiu, Sophia ; Grant, Michael ; Hamilton, Cheryl ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070079
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2024]. Ergonomic and musculoskeletal evaluation of distribution tasks at a logistics agency ; in California. By Ramsey JG, Hatcher S. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human ; Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety ; and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2019-0024-3398,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  928110 - National Security - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:51f6a9dcdef988f676644cd199da5c34ff86cee680ff8a7aa6cb929a42183d736b5b2b87a13dc5f958c7fe944502301b8c4d5ed1eadb31a0234ceddad9d35909
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172298/cdc_172298_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 739.74 KB ]