Ergonomic Evaluation of Surfacing and Finishing Tasks during Eyeglass Manufacturing – Minnesota

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ramsey, Jessica G. ; Tapp, Loren C.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In June 2010, NIOSH received an HHE request from managers to evaluate potential ergonomic hazards and MSDs among employees at three eyeglass manufacturing facilities in Minnesota. The request concerned employees working in the surfacing and finishing departments. We visited the three facilities on November 16-19, 2010. We observed work processes and practices and assessed workplace conditions. We videotaped surfacing and finishing tasks. We also measured workstation heights and reach distances. We talked with employees privately to discuss concerns about the workplace and their health. We also reviewed medical records related to MSDs. We found that employees were exposed to a combination of risk factors for developing WMSDs, including awkward postures, forceful exertions, and repetitive motions. Of 60 interviewed employees, 45 reported having current or past MSD symptoms. Review of 19 employees' medical records found that most medically documented WMSDs involved the wrists, shoulders, hands, and back. Three employees had undergone surgery and three (one of whom had undergone surgery) were put on permanent work restrictions. Comparison of OSHA Form 300 Logs of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses showed higher rates of injury and illness at this facility than at other eyeglass manufacturing facilities in the United States in 2007-2009, but by 2010, all but one facility's rates had declined to near the national industry average. On the basis of employee interviews and OSHA Logs, the most commonly reported MSDs were wrist, shoulder, hand, and back disorders. We provided the facility with recommendations for reducing the risk of WMSDs. By designing work areas to have a working height of 27"-62" and rotating employees to different job tasks after every break, managers can reduce the risk of WMSDs. Training employees to recognize and avoid risk factors that can lead to musculoskeletal problems and encouraging employees to report work-related musculoskeletal discomfort can also reduce employees' risk of injury.
• Subjects:
  Cumulative Trauma Disorders Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Back-injuries Cumulative-trauma Cumulative-trauma-disorders Finishing Hand-injuries Muscle-function Muscular-disorders Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing Posture Prescription Lenses Repetitive-work Risk-analysis Risk-factors Surfacing WMSDs Work-analysis Work-environment Work-practices

  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, HETA 2010-0114-3168, 2012 Nov ; :1-32
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA201001143168
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  40 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Evans, Stefanie ; Galloway, Ellen ; Winfree, Mary
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041842
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2013-103230
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2012]. Health hazard evaluation report: ergonomic evaluation of surfacing ; and finishing tasks during eyeglass manufacturing – Minnesota. By Ramsey J and ; Tapp L. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers ; for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and ; Health, NIOSH HETA No. 2010-0114-3168,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  339115 - Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:99328af06aad80f4704ecdb78aa2225f3b9f5e7cc0baf9a9e0dd349af9bbebaf878010101ebf630067bc91604debc154fa087ea748c9c913cac95186c0867e4b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172479/cdc_172479_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.82 MB ]