An ergonomics program to control work-related cumulative trauma disorders of the upper extremities

Details

• Personal Author:
  McGlothlin, James D.
• Description:
  A program was established in a hand intensive manufacturing facility to control upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs). The plan consisted of four distinct components: job analysis; education and training of management and workers in the principles of ergonomics and identification of risk factors; development of a task force; and implementation of a health surveillance system. The control approach indicated that facility designed tools were the most successfully implemented attribute, followed by changes in work practices to reduce work stresses. The original program stressed administrative controls including worker rotation, job enlargement and market available tools, while the plan for new jobs stressed engineering controls such as work station design, gravity feed racks, and facility designed tools. The shift from administrative to engineering controls may be attributed to application of ergonomic principles by facility engineers during the design of new workstations, flexibility in production quotas during the work startup phase, and financial resources for ergonomic enhancements to new work stations after startup. The author concludes that the best time to implement ergonomic suggestions is during work station design and start up; that the success of retrofitting existing work stations by ergonomic design depends on the support of management and labor at all levels; and that any long term effectiveness of the Task Force is a direct function of key management and labor support. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cumulative Trauma Disorders Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Arm Injuries Cumulative Trauma Disorders Equipment Design Hand Injuries Industrial Design Musculoskeletal System Disorders NIOSH-Author Repetitive Work Workplace Studies
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Dissertation
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-134
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00197336
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB91-173377
• Citation:
  Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1988 Jan; :1-134
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1988
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Dissertation, University of Michigan, 134 pages, 41 references
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:53fd76ea753a997f004caa72f4c5197cede3011512e21678ba910c471f05a4d1768accc2a1dc0c836097e7c3592f996108e29eae37d12688a781355c35560f22
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204135/cdc_204135_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.18 MB ]