Control of Ergonomic Hazards from Squeegee Handles in the Screen-Printing Industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Flesch, Jerome P. ; Grant, Katharyn A.
• Description:
  Handles for squeegees were evaluated to identify the ergonomic hazards associated with use of hand tools in the screen printing industry. Working in the screen printing industry exposed workers to wooden handled squeegees used to force ink through a screen and into a substrate. Studies by NIOSH indicated that redesigning the squeegee handle can significantly reduce hand pain and fatigue. Squeegee handles for manual screen print workers should be designed to conform to the shape of the hand when in a somewhat relaxed and open position. The handle surface should make full contact with the fingers and surface of the palm of the hand. The diameter of the grip should be at least 18% wider than the grip diameter of the industry standard handle. Padding the handle with a compressible surface reduces hand pain and fatigue significantly. Standard squeegee handles can be modified by adding compressible rubber grips which should be available in varying widths and diameters to accommodate workers with different hand sizes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cumulative Trauma Disorders Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Printing Safety
• Keywords:
  Carpal-tunnel-syndrome Cumulative-trauma Cumulative-trauma-disorders Hand-injuries Hand-tools Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Printing-industry Repetitive-work
• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division ; DBBS - Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031447
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1999 Dec; 14(12):805
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities
• Performing Organization:
  Squeegee Plus!, Eugene, Oregon
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19950930
• End Date:
  19960331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:16406c7743980067bb07ddcfe7ba85cf48df9fbfa269cdebebc33c4b8a5d4772820ab40ee12bcf3d79b6b3c21323f51c78e15d3a5c8c9ade1cdbc8ccde6a8d20
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185743/cdc_185743_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 211.02 KB ]