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Ergonomic Hazard Management Audit Tool User Guide for the Meat

1. Upper extremity disorders in a pork processing plant Moore et al 1997 Relationships between job risk factors Australian Standard 1657 1992 Elevated Platforms AS 1657 Walkways and Stairs Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 3 Legislative Requirements This audit program for the assessed tasks satisfies legislative requirements for the identification assessment and control of hazards within the organisation This meets the following legislative requirement An employer must in relation to the implementation of these regulations ensure that appropriate steps are taken to identify all reasonably foreseeable hazards arising from work which may affect the health or safety of employees or other persons at the workplace Ifa hazard is identified an employer must ensure that an assessment is made of the risks associated with the hazard An employer must on the basis of risk assessment under Regulation 1 3 2 ensure that any risks to health or safety arising out of the work eliminated or where that is not reasonably practicable minimised Section 1 3 2 pages 49 50 The above mentioned requirements have been fulfilled through undertaking a hazard based assessment of the abovementioned tasks The hazard assessment methodology was consistent with the hazard management approach in the South Australian Consolidated Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1995
2. Boning Room Organisation Tatiara Meat Company Table 10 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle No e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height No Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension Yes e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have b
3. dma Indus Table 3 Selected Studies Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Ergonomics Training section five on page 24 contains a full list of the references that are summarised in table 3 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 20 1992 74 works back injury history meat industry Orget et al 1992 Check out Grocery 23 workers industry tasks Dortch amp Trombly 1990 Assembly by hand Electronics 18 workers meat industry wGenaidy et al 1989 Lifting and carrying to the meat industry 21 workers Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry Assessment checklists could be adapted for meat Assessment methods could be adapted for the Training amp assessment Packaging methods could be applied amp SAMPLE INDUSTRY Brown et al Varied Municipal Training methods could be Before After 6 wk applied to lifting tasks in Back School Non equivalent controls Before After no controls Training was part of ergonomics program Before After Handouts vs handouts demonstrations vs controls Before After w controls 8 Physical training sessions Records study Lost time lost time cost medical cost total cost Self report of discomfort Behaviour observation psychophysical endurance ratings of perceived exertion Trai
4. 13 The Old Boning Room Layout The results of the assessment are summarised in table 4 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 4 r gt Figure 5 Workplace Layout Boning Room The main hazards that were identified with this task were e The layout of the room meant people would have to throw the product between the cut up table and the belt This occurred with every unit so it was a frequent task The product was also heavy approximately 10 12 kg Other tasks required this throwing of the product Boners would have to throw the product over the belt to slicers This meant interruptions in work for those people to move when the product was thrown This also created additional manual handling for those people who had to throw the product e Additional manual handling was also required for the people to bend and twist when throwing off cuts into the dump bins This over reliance on dump bins also created access problems and a lack of space in the boning room Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 14 The New Boning Room Layout Figures 6 amp 7 illustrate workstations in the new boning room a Se Figure 7 Collecting product for sorting from the end of the return belt Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 15 This design has the foll
5. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS The process of change CTS cases dropped Union advocated more union ie committee structure from 34 to 13 in 4 years equipment to reduce management amp approach and the risk lost days reduced from manual material CTD control strategies could 731 to 8 handling committee be adapted to the meat work station changes tool modifications industry Introduced The risk control Reduced medical visits Results based on two adjustable examples could be from 76 to 28 per month departments with 33 work stations adapted to the meat employees company and fixtures industry enthusiastic about exercise program Job rotation Mechanism of job rotation could be applied to the meat industry Job rotation in light duty tasks not as effective as in dynamic heavy duty tasks Measured static load in trapezius muscle with EMG Specific Task assessment No relationship between Ergonomic changes did ergonomic method could be ergonomic changes and not reduce the risk of changes not adapted for the meat prevalence of hand studies jobs mentioned industry wrist CTDs 18 STUDY TYPE OF WORK TASK METHOD OF RELEVANCE TO THE amp NUMBER OF INTERVEN MEAT INDUSTRY WORKERS TION Jorgensen et al 1987 Introduced a telescopic bin loading system Ergonomics training material handling equipment work station modifications Airline
6. An electromyographic study of strength and upper extremity muscle activity in simulated meat cutting tasks Applied Ergonomics Vol 28 No 2 129 137 Hsiang S McGorry R amp Bezverkhny 1997 The use of Taguchi s methods for the evaluation of industrial knife design Ergonomics Vol 40 No 4 476 490 Joseph 1989 Ergonomic Considerations and Job Design in Upper Extremity Disorders Journal of Occupational Medicine USA Vol 4 No 3 pp 547 571 Moore J S amp Garg A 1994 Upper extremity disorders in a pork processing plant Relationships between job risk factors and morbidity American Industrial Association Journal 55 703 715 Silverstein B Fine L Stetson D 1987 Hand wrist disorders among investment casting plant workers Journal of Hand Surgery 12A 5 Part 2 838 44 Gjessing C C Schoenborn T F amp Cohen A Eds 1994 NIOSH Participatory ergonomic interventions in meatpacking plants DHHS NIOSH Publication No 94 1240 Cincinnati OH U S Department of Health amp Human Services DHHS Centre for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute for Occupational Safety amp Health NIOSH WorkSafe 1995 Injury Disease Statistical Update for the Meat Processing Industry Sector Sydney Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 72 Table of Contents Section 1 Introduction Structure of this Report Section 2 Engineering Risk Control S
7. AZ Oryx Cook T Rosecrance J Zimmermann C Gerleman D amp Ludewig P 1998 Electromyographic Analysis of a repetitive hand gripping task International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics Vol 4 No 2 185 198 Dehlin O Berg S Andersson GBJ Grimby G 1981 Effect of physical training and ergonomics counselling on the psychological perception of work and on the subjective assessment of low back insufficiency Scand J Rehabil Med 13 1 9 Department of Labour New Zealand 1997 Muscle minding A guide for the prevention of OOS in the meat poultry and fish processing industries Department of Employment Training and Industrial Relations Queensland 1999 Workplace health and safety in the meat industry Risk management Workbook and methodology for overuse injuries Dortch HL Trombly CA 1990 The effects of education on hand use with industrial workers in repetitive jobs Amer J Occup Therapy 44777 782 Drury CG Wick J 1984 Ergonomic applications in the shoe industry In Proceedings of the international conference on occupational ergonomics pp 489 93 Eastman Kodak Company 1983 Ergonomic design for people at work Vol 1 New York NY Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc Eastman Kodak company 1986 Ergonomic design for people at work Vol 2 New York NY Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc Echard M Smolenski S Zamiska M 1987 Ergonomic considerations engineering co
8. Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 4 H azard Priorities The hazards that have been identified have been prioritised according to the level of risk for each hazard This is in accordance with the hazard assessment process outlined in the SA Consolidated Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1995 The following priority waiting system is used in the assessment of hazards High Level Hazard Hazards of this priority are in breach of the legislative minimum standards for whatever aspect of work is being examined and the hazard needs to be controlled immediately Timeframe for the control of the hazard Immediate e Medium Level Hazard Hazards at this level of priority are above the minimum level of safety according to minimum legislative requirements but below what is recommended as far as optimum safe work performance is concerned Therefore implementing risk control strategies for this aspect of the work will result in an improvement of an existing work process Timeframe for the control of the hazard 3 6 months Low Level Hazard The aspect of work appears to be reasonable and to a high level of safety However implementation of the recommended risk control strategy for this hazard will possibly improve the level of safety towards a best practice level of work for the particular work operation which is being assessed No immediate risk of injury risk control strategy shou
9. despite this there is not enough practical thought given at the workplace level of how to overcome the problem of one size does not fit all That is how to achieve a comfortable and safe grip on a tool knife or hook This is never more critical than in the meat processing industry An industry that requires the fine body architecture of the hand to produce fine precision cutting movements as well as forceful power grip movements These movements combined are usually performed at reasonably high speed with a lack of variety in the movement patterns produced When these risk factors are present in a job the risk factor for occupational overuse injury increases EA Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 2 By a dustries The readings in this section are critical because they attempt to eliminate many of these risk factors by engineering risk control options to the tools that people use This attempt to eliminate the risk through improvements in design is what makes this type of risk control so effective in the management of hazards at work Tool Orientation Several studies demonstrated that by bending the handle or reorienting the blade angle the amount of wrist deviation could be reduced e g Armstrong et al 1982 This principal is illustrated in Figure 1 Figure 1 Deviated wrist position caused by design of the tool and its use Wrist angle better neutral with the change in tool design figures from An
10. page 40 The boning task does require a significant amount of repetitive arm movement and lifting cartons so it is important that these movements are performed in the safest possible way On going training and reinforcement is required achieve and sustain these safe manual handling techniques 5 Work Flow High Priority Recommendation There are many cartons on the floor around the slicing workstation As the work accumulates it would be preferable to have the cartons stored between mid thigh to chest height to reduce bending during the lifting If this is not practical then particular care through training and supervision should occur to ensure the lifting techniques of people lifting from ground heights is performed in the safest possible way Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 36 4 Knife Sharpening High priority Recommendation Training in knife sharpening especially for new employees needs to continue Reductions in the sharpness of knives has been demonstrated as contributing to the increase muscular effort whilst using the knife and contributes to an increase in the risk of cuts when using the knife This would assist with reducing manual effort when trimming the carcass Figure 28 Sharpening a knife in the boning slicing area Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 37 Case Study Number 11 Mincing Workstation Boning Room Organisation Aldinga Table Turk
11. Floor1 100 Greenhill Rd Unley SA 5061 Telephone 08 8272 2400 Facsimile 08 8272 2433 Email nmasa tne net au Janice Quarrie Executive Officer WorkCover Corporation GPO Box 2668 Adelaide SA 5001 Telephone 08 8233 2947 Facsimile 08 8233 2223 Email jquarrie workcover sa gov au Acknowledgements am grateful to the SA WorkCover Corporation Targeted Grant Scheme for funding this project and to the SA Meat Industry OHS Committee for their support throughout this project would also like to specifically thank the following for their profound and diligent input into this project e The risk assessment team at George Chapman Pty Ltd e Debbie Crewe George Chapman e Janice Quarrie SA Workcover Corporation e Barry Shaw AMIEU SA Branch e Sue Ball TAFE SA am also grateful to all the people within the industry who participated in the site visits and provided input into this project Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 1 A joint project of industry and WorkCover Corporation National Meat Association SA Food amp Beverage Industry Training Council e Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union George Chapman PLL e Tatiara Meat Company T amp R Murray Bridge PL e Aldinga Table Turkeys Inghams International TAFE SA Meat amp Livestock Australia e AQIS Workplace Services DAIS National Union of Workers S A E C C I Industries Introduction Injury statistics and other sources have identified ma
12. Guarding are specified in Australian Standard 4024 1 1996 It states that every projection such as a set screw bolt or key on a exposed moving part of machinery should be sunk shrouded or otherwise effectively guarded page 49 The AS 4024 1 requires a hazards assessment of the plant design and its use to be carried out so that any guarding hazards can be identified assessed and controlled Some of the belts in the plant are not adequately covered Figure 35 illustrates the end of a powered roller in the boning room that is exposed The risk of entrapment is relatively low as there is not someone next to the machine the roller is rotating slowly and the exposed aperture is not large However it still needs to be guarded Figure 35 End of a powered roller in the boning room that needs to be covered Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 47 The exposed rollers on a packing belt have the same problem That is the exposed roller on the end of the belt needs to be covered with a solid guard so that there are no exposed moving parts Operators will feel more comfortable about standing closer to the guarded conveyor without a risk of entanglement This reduces the risk of overreaching and manual handling related injury Figure 36 Exposed moving parts at the end of a packing belt Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 48 Case Study Number 15 Throwing Product Task
13. This task is illustrated in figure 47 The manual handling hazards for this task in terms of the repetition weight and loads are the same as described in the previous section Lifting the head of the animal requires a lift height of approximately 1500mm shoulder height This height combined with the repetition grip and weight risk factors already discussed causes a serious risk of lower back shoulder and general muscular strain to the trunk and arms of the operator This task is illustrated in figure 47 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 69 Recommendations Lifting the Head Eliminate the Lifting High Priority Recommendation Lifting the head can be eliminated by getting a head lifting device The device illustrated in figure 48 was used at South Burnett Meat works It hooks under the head and works on an air assisted resistance mechanism which allows the weight of the head to be taken by the hook It is suspended from overhead and allows the head to be transferred from one line to another with no lifting of the weight of the head Figure 48 Head lifting device figure courtesy of South Burnett Meat Works Task Rotation High priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical through this work task Ideally 2 hourly rotation between tasks would provide some meaningful change in muscle loads for the work tasks along the chain Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for
14. as required The platform illustrated in figures 41 amp 42 appeared adequate in terms of size for the operators However if more people were involved in the slaughtering task the current platform may need to be extended to the left of the operator in figure 43 This is so that people working with a knife are not standing on the side of the platform Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 61 Case Study Number 19 Slaughter Floor Platform Organisation Abdilla Meats Pty Ltd The current slaughter floor platform is illustrated in figure 43 The design criteria for platforms is determined by Australian Standard 1657 1992 titled Fixed Platforms walkways stairways and ladders Design construction and installation Figure 43 Slaughter Floor Platform The current design has the following design problems e No kick board on the front edge of the platform e Split level platform requires a step handrail arrangement for the movement between levels Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 62 Recommendations Slaughter Floor Platform Figure 44 below illustrates a slaughter floor platform It has a kick board on the front side access with a ladder with handrail and enough depth on the platform to allow people to walk past each other Figure 44 A slaughter floor platform photo courtesy of Greens Meats WA Design Criteria for the Platform General Safety Whateve
15. assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 58 Legging Task Slaughter Floor The results of the assessment are summarised in table 12 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 12 Figure 42 Cutting the animal during the legging task Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 59 Wrist Movements The manual handling of this task is repetitive in terms of the active range of movement for the cuts being produced for this task There is between 30 50 degrees of spinal flexion for approximately 30 seconds which is 80 of the cycle time The nature of cutting requires a bent wrist towards the little finger Ulnar deviation with the wrist rolling with the hand bent towards the palm palmer flexion This sort of wrist deviation has less risk if the resistance force is low If the resistance force is high dry sheep or knife blade not sharp the risk of injury to the muscles and tendons in the wrist forearm amp elbow increases Posture amp Movement The general flexed posture is static and can cause lower back strain if prolonged The current job rotation system and the legging support chain hangs under the buttocks refer to figs 41 amp 42 help to reduce this sustained flexed working postu
16. baggage loaders 6 males Methods of task analysis could be applied to the meat industry Geras et al unpublished Rubber and plastic parts workers 87 plants of a national company Method of ergonomics training and some risk control solutions could be adapted to the meat industry LaBar 1992 Household products manufacturer 800 workers Adjustable workstations Re designed tools improved parts Redesigned checkout workstation Examples of workstation and tool design could be adapted for the meat industry Orgel et al 1992 Grocery store 23 employees Examples of workstation design and method of training could be adapted for the meat industry Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry SUMMARY OF RESULTS Local muscular load on the shoulders and low back reduced Lost time at two plants reduced from 4 9 and 9 7 200 000 hours to 9 and 2 6 respectively over 4 year period Reduced injuries particularly back by 50 Lower rate of self reported neck upper back and shoulder discomfort Industries ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Measured EMG of the trapezius and erector spinae muscles Key to success has been increased training awareness of hazards and improved communication between management and workers Company also has a labor management safety committee that investigates ergonomics related complaints Study lacked a control group 19 trie
17. boning room does provide significant variation for the work tasks that people perform 3 Manual Handling Training Medium Priority The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must Ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 Working on the mincing workstation does require some repetitive arm movement and lifting cartons so it is important that these movements are performed in the safest possible way The ongoing training that is provided to staff does assist them with their manual handling skills and this training and supervision needs to continue 4 Machine Guarding High priority Recommendation People need to be trained instructed and supervised to keep their hands out from under the guard and away from any risk of entanglement with moving parts Figure 30 Mincer guard Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 40 Case Study Number 12 Packing Area Organisation Aldinga Table Turkeys Table 9 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits
18. equipment design Washington DC Superintendent of Documents U S Government Printing Office Vayrynen S Kononen U 1991 Short and long term effects of a training programme on work postures in rehabilitees a pilot study of loggers suffering from back troubles Inter J Industr Ergonomics 7 103 110 Vaught C Brnich MJ Kellner HJ 1988 Effect of training strategy on self contained self rescuer donning performance Mine Safety Education and Training Seminar Bureau of Mines Information Circular U S Department of the Interior Report IC 9185 pp 2 14 Viikari Juntura E Hietanen M Kurppa K Huuskonen M Kuosma E amp Mutanen P 1994 Psychomotor capacity and occurrence of wrist tenosynovitis Journal of Occupational Medicine Vol 36 No 1 57 60 Journal article available at meeting Waters TR 1991 Strategies for assessing multi task manual lifting jobs In Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 35 Annual Meeting pp 809 813 Westgaard RH Aaras A 1984 Postural muscle strain as a causal factor in the development of musculoskeletal illnesses Appl Ergonomics 15 3 162 74 Westgaard RH Aaras A 1985 The effect of improved workplace design on the development of work realted musculo skeletal illnesses Appl Ergonomics 16 2 91 97 Wick JL 1987 Workplace design changes to reduce repetitive motion injuries in an assembly task a case study Semin in Occup Med 2 1 75 78 Woodson WE 1981 Human facto
19. or minimising manual handling hazards This includes elimination substitution and re engineering risk control options Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 7 Industries e Reducing fatigue through work reorganisation This includes the layout management and scheduling of work options e Raising awareness and improving knowledge and skills This includes selection training and supervision of work tasks Filling Out the Risk Control Checklist and Action Plan Stage of the Assessment Tool This audit tool provides some space on the back page for people to tick one or more risk control options There is also some space for people to list the risk control options that have been selected This information is used as the basis for the development and implementation of risk control options Remember that elimination substitution and re engineering options are the best because they get rid of the hazards While personal protective equipment PPE and training are vital elements of a safety system they do not get rid of the hazard they simply assist the individual to cope with the hazard In some cases training and PPE are the only reasonable options available but where possible re engineering the hazard out of the work process is more effective Summary of the Risk Control Options This section provides more detail about the risk control options Examples are also provided about the how these options have been applied in meat processing scena
20. people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 A 3 hour task specific training session in this area should satisfy this requirement Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 51 Case Study Number 16 Punching out the Sheep Slaughter Organisation Floor Tatiara Meat Company Table 11 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle No e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height No Reaching down and behind No e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent No wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension No e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp Yes drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach Yes wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tas
21. reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on No repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 7 The Old Sorting Method The results of the assessment are summarised in table 2 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 2 Figure 1 Sorting product at the end of the belt The main hazards that were identified with this task were e Lack of postural support offered by the chair crate e Operator could not keep up with product on conveyor so errors in grading product may occur e Many combinations of product to be sorted so many bins required this created congestion for other people on the line and for general access amp egress e Over reaching amp high speed repetitive work e No adjustment in the workstation to accommodate dif
22. results in less muscle fatigue in the forearm when using the tool e g Johnson 1988 Fellows amp Freivalds 1989 The logic of this is that the handle moulds around the hand to some extent therefore reducing the muscle effort required to hold the handle This has implications not only for the reduction in musculoskeletal effort required to hold the handle but this additional grip may reduce run through injuries and affect the control and quality of the work These specific variables are yet to be tested in the meat industry context but they have been shown to be the case for work with Surgeons Miller et al 1971 Little 1987 and to some extent with power tools Anderson 1990 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 4 fustries TF Part 2 Workstation Modifications Issues surrounding posture the parameters and dimensions of the workstation within which the people work usually determine movement and manual handling For example the height of the rail or table will define the posture and reach required to perform the task The literature presented in this section is concerned with developing workstation design changes that improve the posture movements and general safety of people working at those workstations The Problem One size does not fit all Therefore any workstation design that is evaluated has to be done to accommodate a physically diverse range of users and variations in the prod
23. the following steps e Assess the level of risk from O 5 for each of the assessment Items e Describe assessment of the main hazards associated with the task e Determine the overall risk rating for the task This is the highest risk rating given to any of the factors e g If all factors are rated at a level of 2 but one factor e g repetition is rated 5 the overall risk rating for the task is 5 e One yes answer in the personal factors section Section E is equivilant to an overall risk rating of 5 e Once you progress to assessing a number of tasks you will be in a position to prioritise tasks based on how many high hazard ratings are scored per task e NB Any aspect of any task that is rated 4 or above needs prompt or immediate attention e The key for interpreting the risk ratings in terms of the priority of action is as follows e O rating Very low priority fix within 12 month plan e 1 rating Low priority fix within 3 month plan e 2 rating Medium priority fix within 1 month plan e 3 rating High priority fix within 2 week plan e 4 rating Very high priority fix within 1 week plan e 5 rating Acute priority fix by the end of the day Step 3 Risk Control Overview of the risk control stage The risk control hierarchy is the approach commonly used to develop safe methods of work The risk control hierarchy for the management of manual handling hazards consists of the following elements e Eliminating
24. the person cannot keep up they could make mistakes that may lead to injury e g a new employee or someone who is not experienced in this task At this site new employees are provided with a reduced rate of work so they can develop their skills on this job before being required to work at the normal rate of work for the room b P a i j T j i Figure 34 Using the bandsaw to cut the carcass Stability on the floor At the time of the assessment this was reasonable Anti fatigue matting can be used in some situations but it should not create secondary manual handling problems when moving the matting during cleaning or hygiene problems when working at the workstation A dry floor is essential ie Housekeeping for stabiltiy is essential during this task Lighting The lighting for this task was reasonable It is essential to have good lighting because of the close proximity of the hands to the exposed moving blade Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 45 Recommendations Changes in the Design amp Use of the Bandsaw e Adjustable Guard on the Bandsaw Medium Priority Recommendation Continue with adjusting the guard on the blade This will result in only the required amount of the bandsaw blade being exposed This is of particular significance for the following reasons The operator moves at high speed Very close to the blade No protection in terms of gloves or forearms shields
25. the risk of injury will decrease The barriers to this system in the meat industry have been the tally system and other industrial based issues A good job rotation program can have value not only in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal injury but it can make the overall job more interesting Science and common sense have shown that improvements in job satisfaction can lead to more ownership of the work process reduced staff turnover and improvements in the quality of the work people can produce The improvements in safety in this sort of environment are also well documented Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 23 Figure 13 Heavier manual handling required on the cut up table compared to other tasks in the boning room Figure 14 Lighter slicing tasks Rotating between this task and heavier boning tasks can reduce the overall muscle load that is accumulated during the shift Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 24 Case Study Number 7 Hose Attachment Organisation George Chapman Pty Ltd Washing down work areas is an everyday occurrence in meat processing operations Using hot water is a necessary requirement in many cases for the hygiene requirements of cleaning Having just a cut off section on the end of the hose means that people often get burned with the hot water There is also a metal wrap around the end of the hose that heats up with the hot water running
26. where people move through the different tasks It should not be left to the individuals to organise without management support or it may not happen Boning rooms such as Chapman s SA and Greens WA have a job rotation program in their boning rooms and it works well in terms of reduction in physical stresses and job satisfaction for people A good job rotation program can have value not only in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal injury but it can make the overall job more interesting Science and common sense have shown that improvements in job satisfaction can lead to more ownership of the work process reduced staff turnover and improvements in the quality of the work people can produce The improvements in safety in this sort of environment are also well documented Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 56 Job Rotation in the Slaughter Floor Some of the tasks in the slaughter floor are very demanding eg punching out the sheep refer to figure 39 where other tasks do not put the same strain on the upper limbs eg knife work refer to figure 40 Continue to rotate every 1 5 hours which is an effective strategy for reducing the risk of overuse related injuries w Figure 39 Punching out the sheep is a very demanding task on the lower back and upper limbs Figure 40 Using an air knife on the slaughter floor Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 57 Cas
27. whilst using the knife and contributes to an increase in the risk of cuts when using the knife Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 32 Figure 24 Sharpening a knife in the boning slicing area 5 Matting Medium Priority Recommendation The OHS Regulations 1995 state the following in relat it should be of low thermal conductivity and designed to give reasonable relief from the hard surface page 66 The matting in figure 25 is a good design but it is worn on some of the workstations and needs to be replaced Figure 25 Matting on the floor of the boning area Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 33 Case Study Number 10 Slicing Workstation Boning Room Organisation Aldinga Table Turkeys Table 7 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle Yes e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension Yes e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General desig
28. 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle Yes e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension Yes e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp Yes drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach Yes wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 41 The Packing Area The results of the assessment are summarised in table 9 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was h
29. A Taylor amp Francis Submitted with NIOSH comments to OSHA dated 2 1 93 Putz Anderson V Galinsky T 1993 Psychophysically determined work durations for limiting shoulder girdle fatigue from elevated manual work Int J Ind Ergonomics 11 19 28 Radwin RG Oh S 1991 Handle and trigger size effects on power tool Operation In Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 35 Annual Meeting pp 843 847 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 29 dustries Rigdon JE 1992 The wrist watch how a plant handles occupational hazard with common sense The Wall Street Journal 9 28 92 Rodgers SH 1988 Job evaluation in worker fitness determination In Occupational Medicine State of the Art Reviews Philadelphia PA Hanley amp Belfus Inc Rohmert W Laurig W 1977 Increasing awareness of ergonomics by in company courses a case study Appl Ergonomics 8 19 21 Rosenfeld O Tenenhaum G Ruskin H Halfon S T 1989 The effect of physical training on objective and subjective measures of productivity and efficiency in industry Ergonomics 32 1019 1028 Rothstein MA 1984 Medical screening of workers Washington DC Bureau of National Affairs Rubinsky S Smith NE 1971 Evaluation of accident simulation as a technique for teaching safety procedures in the use of small power tools Washington D C U S Govt Printing Office DHEW Publication HSM 72 10000 Sanders MS McCormick EJ eds 1982 Human facto
30. Figure 1 illustrates the interrelationship between manual handling and occupational overuse related issues in work tasks Manual Handling Occupational Overuse Hazards Hazards Work tasks involving e Repetitive or forceful movements e Maintain constrained or awkward posture Work tasks involving e Transfer of heavy loads e Non repetitive actions Interaction of both task elements ALL MANUAL HANDLING TASKS IN MEAT PROCESSING OPERATIONS Legal Requirements for Manual Handling Assessments The Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1995 state that An employer must ensure that any manual handling that is likely to be a risk to health and safety is identified and assessed The employer must take such steps as are reasonably practicable to control the risk page 89 90 This booklet and enclosed checklist are designed to meet this legal requirement by providing a practical guide for the management of manual handling hazards in the meat industry Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 3 Industries Ergonomic Audits The key to effectively managing ergonomic hazards like many other hazards is to analyse the hazards and their causes and then systematically control these hazards This hazard management process consists of the following 4 main stages Risk identification Risk assessment Risk control Monitor and evaluate O ho This booklet summarises this process and provi
31. Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle No e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer Flexion dorsi flexion ulnar or Yes radial deviation e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on No repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 10 The Old De R
32. Industries Ergonomic Hazard Management AUDIE TOOL U IDE For the Meat Industry in South Australia Ergonomist Industries LEL CRE olL Page About This Project 1 Acknowledgements 1 Introduction 2 Ergonomic Audits 4 How to Undertake an Ergonomic Audit At Your Site 5 Step 1 Risk Identification 5 Step 2 Risk Assessment 6 Step 3 Risk Control 7 Summary of Risk Control Options 8 Step 4 Monitor amp Evaluate 12 Tips For Good Ergonomic Audits 13 Appendix A Ergonomic Hazard Management Audit Tool For the Meat Industry 14 Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide Industries About This Project This document is one of four which have been developed by David Nery Ergonomist Nery Ergonomic Services in collaboration with the SA Meat Industry OHS Committee The full range of documents developed in this project are e An ergonomic hazard audit tool specifically adapted for meat processing tasks e A user guide of how to use the audit tool e An industry report which provides a series of 20 case studies of ergonomic interventions in the meat industry in South Australia e A bibliography of relevant readings for ergonomics in the meat industry For more information about the documents that have been produced in this project please contact the following people or visit the SAfer Industries Meat Industry website www workcover sa gov au safer Paul Sandercock Chairperson National Meat Association
33. Reduced moment of force at 1991 amp injury can be applied shoulders during seated incline adjustable chair and L5 S1 by 29 at C7 T1 by Office workers to tasks in the meat tasks table 21 indust Issues about symptoms Hand arm vibration Reduced hand transmitted vibration by 61 85 Provided vibration damping handle Reduced finger and palmar force during tool operation by 7 Reduced wrist extension Powers Hedge Wrist deviation during typing Provided forearm supports and Martin amp injury can be applied tasks and a negative slope 1992 to tasks in the meat keyboard support system Office workers indust Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 14 STUDY amp RELEVANCE TO PROBLEM amp RISK FACTOR CONTROL MEASURE EFFECT TARGET MEAT INDUSTRY POPULATION Erisman and Assembly workers Pinch grips wrist deviation Wick 1992 Provided new assembly Eliminated pinch grips fixture reduced wrist deviations by 65 reduced cycle time by 50 Luttmann and Weavers Forearm muscle fatigue Jager 1992 Redesigned workstation numerous changes Reduced fatigue build up as indicated by EMG improved quality of product Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 15 Industries Table 2 A Range of Ergonomic Risk Control Strategies section five on page 24 contains a full list of the references that are s
34. Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle No e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height No Reaching down and behind No e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent No wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension No e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on No repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training No 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Managem
35. The steps also have a good grip which is critical since the floors and worker s boots are often wet If there is some food product on the sole of a persons boot this may further increase the risk of slipping on the step Portability of the Unit Figure 19 illustrates how easy it is to move the unit The wheel means that the weight of the unit does not have to be lifted so the manual handling associated with the task is significantly reduced Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 28 Case Study Number 9 Workstation amp Job Design Boning Room Organisation Aldinga Table Turkeys Table 6 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle Yes e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension Yes e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layou
36. ad could be about knee height approximately 500mm above the ground Other animals heads are still about mid thigh height above the ground approximately 650mm when they are lifted This low height increases the risk of manual handling injury because of the amount of bending required to lift the head Figure 46 Lifting the head from the main rail Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 67 Carrying the heads The head is carried approximately 5 metres between the two lines This can impose a significant manual handling load on the person Gripping the heads The manual handling of the head is difficult because there is not always a good grip Some people grasp the head around the jaw refer to figure 46 A risk at other sites has been when the head has not been de skinned and the operator has to put their fingers in the eye sockets when they are lifting the head With a heavy bulls head in particular it places a significant strain on the back arms and shoulders with this lift Trimming the head Before the head is lifted it is trimmed refer to figure 45 There is some bending and twisting of the operators spine during this task particularly with longer animals as their heads are closer to the ground when they are hung on the rail Figure 47 Lifting the head from the main rail to the head rail Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 68 Lifting the head onto the rail
37. ally speaking the more repetitive and high intensity the task the more these micro breaks are needed to provide some relief from accumulated muscle fatigue Some of the broader principles of job rotation include e Light precision movements eg Slicing versus heavier muscle loads boning e Sitting vs standing tasks e Static tasks eg bench top packing high frequency rate vs dynamic tasks eg pushing bins or general moving of cartons e Variation in the muscles that are being used eg Packing versus pushing trolleys e Manual handling eg Load out These are just some of the variations that should where possible be integrated into the work that people are doing _ a a i eR Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 9 Industries The concept of job rotation has enormous value in meat processing plants The work is repetitive highly task specialised eg Only do boning or slicing and work at a high rate in a tally based system These factors have all contributed to the meat industry having an injury rate 6 times the Australian Industry average This information is not new and over recent times many plants have produced innovative and profound changes to the way job tasks are organised In terms of job rotation some beef boning rooms rotate between the 12 boning tasks on a 2 hourly basis This provides some variation between more physically demanding tasks and some lighter boning tasks eg Greens WA O
38. and Moves next to the blade on a very frequent basis at least 60 times per minute e Training Medium Priority Recommendation People need extensive training on the safety of how to use the saw and how to process the product safely through the machine This includes keeping the hands as far as is practical from the blade People need to be trained on the safe use of the equipment and the hazards pointed out to people in the training There should be a safe work procedure for the use of the machine with the hazards associated with the use of the machine fully explained in this document this should be the case with all machines The training records and safe work procedures need to be readily available 3 Supervision Medium Priority Recommendation This is to ensure that people are working at a rate they can do safely This is a paced task so people have to keep up with the product that they are supplied with Supervisors in this area need to monitor this to ensure that people are not working at a rate that they cannot keep up with particularly when they are new to the task and still learning Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 46 Case Study Number 14 Machine Guarding Conveyors Organisation Tatiara Meat Company Machine guarding around belts is a critical design issue There are Australian standards for machine guarding generally and for the guarding of conveyors The general requirements for
39. arts L5 S1 disc from 85 to 13 sandal plant in the meat indust bins Ibs Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 13 EFFECT STUDY amp RELEVANCE TO PROBLEM amp RISK FACTOR CONTROL MEASURE TARGET MEAT INDUSTRY POPULATION Little 1987 Assessment results of Ulnar deviation high Redesigned notching tool Reduced force from 12 15 Film notchers repetitive tasks hazards repetition rates pressure in extended widened and bent to 10 Ibs eliminated ulnar can be applied to the the palm of the hand imposed handles reduced squeezing wrist deviation increased meat industry by notching tool force productivity by 15 Power hand tool can applied to repetitive grip force to handle determined by EMG users meat industry tasks Fellows and Assessment protocol Blisters muscle fatigue Provided foam cover for Reduced muscle tension Freivalds 1989 can applied to repetitive handle and fatigue buildup as Gardeners meat industry tasks determined by EMG Andersson Issues about vibration 1990 can be applied to Power hand tool powered tools in the users meat indust Radwin and Oh Issues about symptoms Excessive hand exertion and Extended trigger 1991 Trigger amp injury can be applied muscle fatigue operated power to tasks in the meat hand tool users industry Freudenthal et al Issues about symptoms Static loading of back and Provided desk with 10 degree
40. ask injury and claims history associated with the assessed task This allows for some historical information about the level of risk of this task to be presented Consultation with others involved in the task eg safety reps people who have done the task will provide further background information Work Example Identification of Work Hazards Repetitive Throwing of Product Figure 2 Boning room task photo courtesy of Tataria Meat Company Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 5 Industries Step 2 Risk Assessment This stage involves an assessment of the risks for the hazards that have been identified in stage 1 This requires the task assessors to nominate the level of risk for each hazard that was assessed in step 1 Assessing the level of risk is a combination of the probability the event will occur which is affected by how often the task is undertaken likelihood and the extent of harm to people should the event occur consequences Work Example Assessment of risk A combination of risk severity and number of times the task is performed That is the more people who perform a hazardous task the greater the risk Figure 3 A boning room operation before the room was re designed photo courtesy of George Chapman Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide Industries Filling out the Risk Assessment Stage of the Assessment Tool Filling out the risk assessment section of the audit tool requires you to complete
41. ater perceived Negligible need to information and less perceived exertion Snook et al 1978 Lifting Varied 192 surveys Rohmert amp Laurig 1977 Varied Auto mfg 195 workers Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry Assessment methods could be used in the meat industry Assessment methods could be used in the meat industry After only Training vs Self report of insurance reps on their most recent claim Written questionnaire no training Before After 4 day training course no controls No training effects on injury incidence Increased correlation between course time devoted to topic and importance rank 23 Section 5 Bibliography of Ergonomic Readings Andersson 1990 Design and testing of a vibration attenuating handle International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 6 2 119 126 Anon 1996 Meatpacking Industry cuts comp claims Occupational Hazards May 103 Armstrong TJ Kreutzberg KL Foulke JA 1982 Laboratory evaluation of knife handles for thigh boning MI University of Michigan NIOSH Procurement No 81 2637 Armstrong TJ Radwin RG Hansen DJ Kennedy KW 1986 Repetitive trauma disorders job evaluation and design Hum Factors 28 3 325 336 Arndt R 1987 Work pace stress and cumulative trauma disorders J Hand Surg 12A 866 869 Baldwin TTm F
42. ble 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 38 Mincing Workstation Boning Room The results of the assessment are summarised in table 8 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 8 s A Dis fl S y oe of Figure 29 Lifting cartons of mince Recommendations Mincing Workstation 1 Workstation Design Scales High priority Recommendation All cartons of mince are weighed This involves lifting the mince from ground height refer to 29 and carrying them to the other side of the boning room There is a lot of unnecessary double handling when there is a build up of cartons The mince machine should if possible be modified to have some scales where the carton is being filled This would eliminate the lifting of the carton to the scales and all of the double handling currently being undertaken If this modification is not possible then a second set of scales close to the mince machine should be made available to reduce the distances over which the cartons have to be lifted Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 39 2 Task Rotation High Priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical through this work task The current system of half day rotations between boning and slaughter tasks combined with rotations within the
43. can provide some relief from static muscle load The lifting technique illustrated in figure 32 is poor That is the person should be bending the legs keeping their spine straight and holding the load close to their body The majority of peoples manual handling techniques on the site are very good The training and supervision of work tasks needs to continue to modify the few instances where the manual handling techniques could be improved Figure 32 Lifting cartons onto a pallet Manual Handling Training Medium Priority The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must Ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 The boning task does require a significant amount of repetitive arm movement and does lifting cartons so it is important that these movements are performed in the safest possible way Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 43 Case Study Number 13 Machine Guarding Band Saw Organisation Tatiara Meat Company Machine guarding around bandsaw machines The general requirements for Guarding are specified in Australian Standard 4024 1 1996 Titled Safeguarding of Machinery General principles It states Where it is impractical to preve
44. ce Redesigned knife reoriented Reduced grip force during Kreutzberg and and design outcomes during poultry cutting tasks blade enlarged handle use reduced forearm Foulke 1982 could be used for tools provided strap for hand muscle fatigue Poultry cutters in all aspects of meat indust Information about handle design could be applied to hand tools in the meat indust Assessment method of Knowlton and Gilbert 1983 Carpenters Muscle fatigue wrist deviation during hammering Bent hammer handle decreased handle diameter Less strength decrement after use reduced ulnar wrist deviation Habes 1984 Back fatigue during Provided cut out in die Reduced back muscle Auto workers posture could be used embossing tasks reduce reach distance fatigue as determined by to assess meat EMG processing tasks Goel and Rim Assessment results can Hand arm vibration Provided padded gloves Reduced vibration 1987 be used to research transmitted to the hand by Miners same issues in meat 23 5 45 5 pneumatic industry chippers Wick 1987 Results of static Pinch grips wrist deviation Provided adjustable chair and Reduced wrist deviation Machine postures relates to high repetition rates static bench mounted armrests compressive force on operators ina some tasks on the chain loading of legs and back angled press provided p
45. d and consistent approach This gives accurate findings and the levels of risk e Include knowledgeable persons Use safety representatives operators engineers or anyone who may have an understanding of the task being assessed you may show them your results if they cannot all attend the audit e Be specific Where possible quantify hazards Eg Don t say load is heavy Measure its weight Don t say person has to reach a long way measure it This provides more detail about the level of risk Challenge customs and practice People s response to change is sometimes We have always done it this way or I have never hurt myself on that job there cannot be a problem We need to analyse the hazards and manage these and not rely on luck as the main reason for not being injured If not one day your luck might run out e When assessing level of risk consider the number of people exposed how often they are exposed for any combination of hazards variations in the process seasonal different types of meat meat from the chiller etc Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 13 Industries Appendix A Ergonomic Audit Tool For Meat Processing Tasks Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 14 ERGONOMIC HAZARD MANAGEMENT SA AUDIT TOOL MEAT INDUSTRY Industries STEP 1 RISK IDENTIFICATION CHECKLIST OTM a cece sgn estes cc eos scoala pad adept esate Department Assessor Date Time INSTRUCTIONS Tick Bo
46. d furniture shall be designed so they can be used safely It is also desirable to design workplaces activities and tasks to suit the capacity of the widest range of people The employer is required to take account of the safety of each employee and not simply design a system which might be safe for an average person in the workforce page 5 The specific duties of designers manufacturers importers employers and employees in relation to the design and use of plant is outlined in the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare SA Regulations Section 3 2 pp118 147 Another example of ergonomic design interventions is the use of counter balancing tools This is commonplace for larger tools such as the backing down saw refer to Figure 6 Smaller tools saws that are counterbalanced have also demonstrated significant reductions in neck shoulder muscle fatigue Westgaard amp Aaras 1984 amp 1985 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 6 Industries Figure 4 Counterbalancing tools can support the tool weight and Reduce muscular fatigue Figure courtesy of South Burnnett Meat works Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 7 Section 3 Job Rotation Risk Control Strategies The previous section dealt with engineering risk control solutions Even if this aspect of the work is optimal which is rare additional risks can be controlled through ef
47. ded conveyor without a risk of entanglement This reduces the risk of overreaching and manual handling related injury Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 22 Case Study Number 6 Job Rotation Organisation George Chapman Pty Ltd Good design from a safety perspective requires more than just achieving good results in the physical design The management of the job is critical to ensure that the safety of the work is optimised One of the commonly used strategies to vary the muscle loads that people are exposed to in a task is to rotate people between work tasks This is particularly important in boning room tasks because of the repetitive nature of the work people do That is if a particular task requires a limited number of muscles to produce highly repetitive movements or maintain a fixed work posture those muscles and tendons may become fatigued which may lead to injury The best form of job rotation is where people move through tasks that require different muscles to be used differently For example a task that requires more forces in the movements eg Boning versus a task that requires less force eg Slicing is one method of job rotation Another is rotating between heavier boning tasks eg working on the cut up table or lifting the animal heads to working on boning tasks on the belt where the lifting loads are lighter The more varied the tasks are the more variety the muscles will have and therefore
48. derson 1990 Other design principals such as achieving a better fit of the handle in the hand can reduce the muscular effort to hold the handle and thus reduce the risk of strain when using the tool e g Little 1987 Johnson 1988 These issues are a little more complex in many meat industry scenarios because of the multiple orientations of the knife e g Horizontal vertical cuts and the variety in grips eg Stabbing and slicing grip Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 3 Industries Despite this these design principles can be applied to varying degrees to improve the orientation of the tool for the user Tool Dimensions The dimensions of the tool are also critical As Figure 2 illustrates the longer shaft on the handle can push into the base of the palm This stress concentration in the base of the palm has been known to contribute to the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Dionne 1995 BAD GOOD Stress concentration over Stress concenirations are base of paim evenly distributed over muscular emmences Select tools which spread stress areas evenly over muscular eminences Figure 2 Poor handle design causes additional pressure concentration in the base of the palm of the hand NIOSH 1995 Tool Materials The selection of materials for handles is a challenge because of the hygiene and safety requirements Some studies have demonstrated that using other tools with a slightly softer handle
49. des some useful reference material to assist you to use the ergonomic audit document in Appendix A Manual Handling Audit Process The key to effectively managing manual handling related hazards is to complete a risk assessment of the work tasks The assessment of manual handling hazards is a legal requirement in the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Regulations Section 2 9 3 1995 The process that needs to be followed is summarised in Table 1 Risk Identification Risk Assessment Risk Control e Observation e Movement amp Posture e Eliminate Hazard e Consultation e Task amp Object e Substitute process e Review Injury e Environmental Factors e Re Engineering Controls Statistics e Individual Factors e Administrative Controls Monitor amp Evaluate Changes Table 1 An Ergonomic Hazard Management Process Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 4 Industries How to Undertake An Ergonomic Audit at your Site The stages of the process are outlined in Table 1 on page 4 The form in Appendix A is the assessment tool that has been developed to complete this process The process involves the same 4 steps described in the previous section That is e Step 1 Risk Identification e Step 2 Risk Assessment e Step 3 Risk Control e Step 4 Monitor amp Evaluate Step 1 Risk Identification Filling out the Risk Identification Stage of the Assessment Tool The front cover of the audit tool requires information about the t
50. dies highlighting the identification assessment and control of ergonomic hazards in the meat processing industry this document e Developed an industry specific ergonomic hazard audit tool and user guide e Prepared a bibliography of readings that provide information about the identification assessment and control of ergonomic hazards in the meat processing industry sector Scope Of The Assessment This industry report has covered meat processing operations in the following areas Beef Processor Poultry Processor Sheep Processor Pork Processor Table 1 below summarises the reference documents used in this audit program Table 1 Reference Documents Used in This Audit Program Reference Documents Abbreviation Australian Standard 4024 1 Safe Guarding of Machinery AS4024 1 1996 Consolidated Occupational Health Safety amp Welfare OHS Regs 1995 Regulations 1995 Manual Handling Code of Practice 1990 MHCP 1990 Joseph 1989 Ergonomic Considerations and Job Design Joseph 1989 in Upper Extremity Disorders Journal of Occupational Medicine USA Vol 4 No 3 pp 547 557 Geniady A M Delgado E amp Bustos T 1995 Active Geniady et al 1995 microbreak effects on muscular comfort ratings in meat packing plants Ergonomics Vol 38 No 2 326 336 Hsiang S Mc Gorry R amp Bezverkhny 1997 The use of Hsiang et al 1997 Taguchi s Methods for the evaluation of knife design Ergonomics Vol 40 No 4 476 490
51. e Study Number 18 Legging Task Slaughter Floor Organisation Abdilla Meats Pty Ltd Table 12 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Legging Task Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle Yes e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension No e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp Yes drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training No 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The
52. e for Occupational Safety and Health DHHS NIOSH Publication No 81 122 NIOSH 1995 Cumulative Trauma Disorders in the Workplace Cincinnati OH U S Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health DHHS NIOSH NOHSC 1992 Guidance note for the prevention of occupational overuse syndrome in the manufacturing industry Commonwealth of Australia National Occupational Health and Safety Commission Orgel DL Milliron MJ Frederick LJ 1992 Musculoskeletal discomfort in grocery express checkstand workers an ergonomic intervention study Journal of Occupational Medicine 34 8 815 18 OSHA 1990 Ergonomics program management guidelines for meatpacking plants Washington DC U S Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA Publication No 3123 OSHA 1992 Training requirements in OSHA standards and training guidelines Washington DC U S Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA Publication No 2254 revised Powers JR Hedge A Martin MG 1992 Effects of full motion forearm supports and a negative slope keyboard system on hand wrist posture while keyboarding Atlanta GA Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 36 Annual Meeting pp 796 800 Putz Anderson V 1988 Cumulative trauma disorders a manual for musculoskeletal diseases of the upper limb Philadelphia P
53. een derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 49 Throwing The Product Task Boning Room The results of the assessment are summarised in table 10 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 10 Figure 37 Manual handling part of the carcass Throwing it over the conveyor Summary of the Assessment Manual Handling Throwing part of a carcass that weighs approximately 6 8 5 Kg over a belt on a highly frequent basis is a risk of manual handling injury for the person throwing and to a lesser degree the person catching the carcass To counter this Tatiara ensures this task occurs a maximum of 4 hours per week Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 50 Recommendations Throwing the Carcass Task Review Workstation Layout High priority Recommendation Review the layout of the boning room to examine whether this task can be eliminated Task Rotation High priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical through this work task This is performed 1 5 hourly rotation between tasks and provides some meaningful change in muscle loads for the work tasks along the chain Manual Handling Training High priority Recommendation The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to
54. ent Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 65 Head Lifting Task Slaughter Floor The results of the assessment are summarised in table 13 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 13 Figure 45 Trimming the head Summary of the Assessment There are essentially three main manual handling aspects to this task They are e Lifting the head from the main rail e Carrying it to the head rail e Lifting the head onto the head rail Lifting the head from the main rail and carrying it to the head rail Lifting the head from the rail can cause manual handling hazards for the following reasons Weight The heads are heavy bulls heads can weigh in the order of 55kg other heads can weigh up to 35 45 kg The lifting is repetitive Depending on the rate of work people may lift a head every 2 3 minutes Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 66 Amount of manual handling Within the cycle of lifting 50 70 of the cycle time of the task is spent weight bearing the head That is either lifting the head from the rail carrying it to the head rail or lifting it onto the head rail So a large proportion of the work task is spent manual handling the head Low height of lifting Bull s heads are not only heavy but they are lifted from a low height because of the length of the animal hanging on the rail The he
55. er Training course pro active ergonomics program Before After 2 4 hour training sessions Before After Training for ergonomics task force professionals only as part of ergo Program After only no controls MEASURES Industries RESULTS Trained behaviour observers using a behaviour grid Self report of perceived workload efficiency fatigue Lost time incidence rates Expert analysis of random video taped lifts Repetitive motion incidence rates Self reports of attitudes toward ergonomic activities Procedures from training more effectively used Physical training group had higher perceived workload but lower fatigue post trainin Substantial reductions in incidence rates after program was initiated Post training lifts were better on 2 of 5 criteria Reduced incidence rates corresponded with program implementation Substantial support for ergonomics activities 22 AUTHORS TASK INDUSTRY amp SAMPLE Dehlin et al Lifting Geriatric 1981 hospital 45 Females with low back symptoms MEAT INDUSTRY Training methods could be used in the meat industry Before After Fitness technique training vs Self reports of perception of work low back insufficiency and determination of physical work capacity training vs lifting controls differences fitness training resulted in gre
56. ers of and those performing meat processing tasks have long commented that many of the tasks are characterised by highly repetitive movement patterns which use the same muscle groups and require forceful muscle exertions Grant amp Habes 1997 Moore amp Garg 1994 Jobs which require repetitive forceful exertions have demonstrated significant increases in the risk of overuse disorders such as tendonitis tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome Silverstein et al 1987 The growing use of high speed processing techniques have increased the number of individuals exposed to highly repetitive intensive hand activities which is thought to have contributed to the increased incidents of OOS disorders Cook et al 1998 For example in meat processing plants it is not unusual for an employee in a boning room to perform 12 000 or more cutting motions per 8 hour shift Gjessing Schoenborn amp Cohen 1994 Despite this there is a lack of practical industry specific information in several areas including industry specific hazard audit tools and industry case studies which highlight the process and outcomes for a hazard management approach of sprain strain issues for all areas within the meat processing industry sector Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 2 Aims amp Objectives of this Project Specifically this project has achieved the following e Prepared an industry report which consists of 20 case stu
57. etween tasks that involve different muscle actions e g Boning versus slicing In meat processing operations it is difficult to get enormous variation in body movements because of the repetitive and similar nature of many tasks However some form of rotation is critical given this repetitive and non varied nature of many tasks Some examples of task rotation include e Boning versus slicing tasks e Standing versus sitting tasks e High effort slaughter tasks e g punching out sheep versus working with air tools e High exertion muscular force e g lifting pig or cattle heads versus a task with low levels of lifting e g working in the knocking box These are just some examples of task rotation Rotating between tasks on a more frequent basis e g 2 4 hourly can also provide often badly needed variation to repetitive tasks Figure 7 Head cut up table photo courtesy of Figure 8 Slicing Task photo courtesy of George George Chapman Chapman Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 10 Industries Figure 7 illustrates a cut up table that requires forceful repetitive upper limb movements Figure 8 illustrates a slicing task that does also involve repetitive movements in the knife hand but the force of the slicing movements is less This therefore reduces the total repetitive physical exertion required by operators 3 Raising Awareness and Improving Knowledge amp Skills Interventions at this level cannot modify the ta
58. eys Table 8 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Manual Handling Identification Results Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle Yes e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension Yes e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp Yes drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach Yes wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in ta
59. fective safety systems administrative controls other re design alternatives This section of the literature review summarises the safety benefits of the non design related risk control strategies The notion of Job Rotation is often a misused and misunderstood term Cynics of job rotation say it is like doing 10 mindless tasks rather than 1 In many cases the term is used inconsistently throughout the literature The predominant definition is rotating people through a range of tasks within the job The literature clearly differentiates between job rotation and job enrichment The former is doing an increased range of tasks the latter involves not only doing more tasks but acquiring more skills A job rotation task e g Moving between packing tasks may reduce musculoskeletal strain if designed correctly but it may not make the task more interesting eg Just using the same skills but at different workstations Job enrichment involves not only rotating between tasks but rotating between different tasks e g Boning amp slicing so people not only have a reduction in the risk of musculoskeletal injury but they learn new skills in different tasks This makes the job not only safer i e Different muscle loads for different tasks but also makes the job more diverse in terms of the skills people are using ie Boning amp Slicing tasks Whilst the definition of job rotation as a process is generally well recognised it is the appl
60. ferent sized operators e Poor visibility of the product because it was going so fast Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 8 The New Sorting Method Figure 2 illustrates the results of the audit and re design process Figure 2 Sorting work task This design has the following ergonomic design features The rotating table is adjustable in height to accommodate different height operators The table makes the task to some extent self paced so the rate of work can be more controlled by the operator This has safety advantages for reducing sustained high rates of work and quality advantages for correct sorting of the product The changes in layout allow for some of the product to be sorted before it gets to this workstation so this can reduce the load placed on this operator Standing position improves work posture at this workstation Reorganisation of the sorting process means there are fewer bins to sort into which reduces congestion and improves access and egress Improvements in boning room layout have allowed sorting to be done away from main circulation area which has reduced congestion and access egress in this area Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry Case Study Number 2 De Rinder Machine Boning Room Organisation George Chapman Pty Ltd Table 3 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Old Configuration Of The Sorting Task
61. he SA Meat Industry 1 4 Industri Section 2 Engineering Risk Control Strategies f This section of the literature review summarises the results of engineering risk control strategies for reducing the exposure to musculoskeletal hazards in meat processing plants Studies from other industry sectors have been included if their results have implications or application to the meat industry in South Australia Table 1 provides a summary of the studies in terms of the authors risk factors examined control measures and the effects of these control strategies Tables 1 2 amp 3 are adapted from NIOSH 1995 Within this section of the report the references have been categorised according to the following risk control methods Part 1 Tool modifications Part 2 Workstation modifications Part 1 Tool Modifications This part of the report summarises the following e Ergonomic hazards associated with tool design and use e Ergonomic benefits of correct tool orientation tool dimensions and tool materials The Problem Matching the hand to the handle of a tool and then combining these to produce a safe set of movements is a key to reducing musculoskeletal fatigue and injury People measure their size for their clothes shoes hat etc Even at work we adjust safety equipment such as respirators hats and clothing to meet our comfort safety and task requirements There is an enormous variation in hand size and strength between people
62. ication of this process for the control of injury risks In terms of general safety it is not the definition or the concept it is how it is applied as a safety risk control strategy If the objective is to reduce the risk of overuse related injuries then the tasks that people rotate between need to involve different muscle groups being used in different ways e g Static verses dynamic work Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 8 Industries Some of the benefits in job rotation strategies include the following The literature has demonstrated significant benefits in reducing muscloskeletal injuries by some form of job rotation e Rotation between light and heavy manual handling tasks reduce muscle fatigue Jonsson 1986 e Rotation of people between heavy lifting and lighter precision movements reduces muscle fatigue Lutz amp Harsford 1987 Job rotation also has benefits as different tasks have different cycle times Variation in the speed of work can reduce the risk of manual handling and overuse related injuries Hani et al 1979 The old saying it s not the hours you put in but what you put into the hours has some truth in relation to the overuse injury Increasing numbers of micro breaks ie Shorter duration but more frequent or doing stretch exercises Lutz amp Hainsford 1987 does reduce the risk of overuse injury A muscular break may take the form of a small stretch at the workstation Gener
63. ighlighted in table 9 Good design from a safety perspective requires more than just achieving good results in the physical design The management of the job is critical to ensure that the safety of the work is optimised One of the commonly used strategies to vary the muscle loads that people are exposed to in a task is to rotate people between work tasks This is particularly important in packing room tasks because of the repetitive nature of the work people do That is if a particular task requires a limited number of muscles to produce highly repetitive movements or maintain a fixed work posture those muscles and tendons may become fatigued which may lead to injury Job Rotation in the Packing Area The best form of job rotation is where people move through tasks that require different muscles to be used differently For example a task that requires greater range of movement eg wrapping versus a task that requires more dexterity packing is one method of job rotation These tasks are illustrated in figure 31 Rotation on either side of the bench also allows for rotation for left and right movements That is if the wrapper leans to their left to put the final product down when she is on one side of the bench she will lean in the other direction to perform the same task on the other side of the bench Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 42 Rotating between heavier manual handling tasks eg moving boxes
64. inder Machine Layout The results of the assessment are summarised in table 3 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 3 Figure 3 De Rinder machine at 90 degrees to the belt The hazards that were identified with this task were e Machine at 90 degrees to the belt so product has to be lifted onto and off the belt to be fed to the machine This introduces unnecessary manual handling e This manual handling is repetitive at least one lift per minute and can increase if the product has to be fed through the machine twice Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry The New De Rinder Machine Layout Figure 4 illustrates the new position of the de rinder machine Figure 4 The de rinder machine running parallel to the belt This design has the following ergonomic design features e Having the de rinder machine running parallel to the belt means that there is less lifting to get the product onto the machine e The product is easily transferred back to the belt since the end of the de rinder machine is right next to the belt Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 12 Case Study Number 3 Boning Room Layout Organisation Boning amp Slicing Tasks George Chapman Pty Ltd Table 4 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Old Configuration Of The Work
65. ks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 52 Punching Out The Sheep Slaughter Floor The results of the assessment are summarised in table 11 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 11 Figure 38 Using the hand to punch the skin away from the carcass Summary of the Assessment Manual Handling There is a lot of bending and twisting of the spine involved in this task as the operator bending down to knee height to complete the task Depending on the number of people doing the task an operator could perform this task every 1 2 minutes Occupational Overuse Injury Risk The grip of the hand when it is being forced inside of the animal can cause significant strain to the muscles and tendons in the hand and wrist area particularly if the sheep are dry and the operators perform the
66. l the rib away from the meat Arm only part way through action Elbow comes up to arm pit height at end of movement Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 18 The main hazards that were identified with this task were e The meat had to be pre trimmed away from the rib refer to figure 8 This required extensive deviation of the wrist with the knife hand e Using the string to pull the meat from the rib refer to figure 9 requires significant grip on the tool handle There is also a jarring effect when pulling the string because it would not always slide easily down the rib e There is significant strain placed on muscle and tendon structures around the wrist forearm elbow and shoulder of the arm pulling the string e The task is continuous and the lack of task rotation adds to the accumulated fatigue associated with the task Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 19 The new method for pulling out the rib set Figures 10 amp 11 illustrate the new method for pulling out the rib set Figure10 The hand tool used for pulling out the rib set fy Figure 11 Wrist in a neutral position when using the tool to pull out the rib set Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 20 This hand held tool has the following ergonomic benefits for this task e Improved Wrist Position The wrist of the hand holding the tool is in a neutral position that
67. ld be factored into a work plan Timeframe for the control of the hazard 12 months Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 5 Results and Recommendations This section of the report summarises the identification and assessment of hazards at the participating sites which are benchmarked against appropriate safety standards Furthermore there are recommendations for risk control strategies that need to be implemented to control the identified hazards Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry Case Study Number 1 Sorting Task Boning Room Organisation George Chapman Pty Ltd Table 2 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Old Configuration Of The Sorting Task Is Factor Within Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle Yes e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent Yes wrist e Wrist movements Palmer extension or full extension Yes e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layout Space to move
68. means there is a reduced risk of injury to the muscles and tendons in this area compared to if the wrist was highly deviated e Reduced Double Handling The pre trimming around the rib with the knife refer to figure 9 is eliminated as the new tool has a blade so only one movement across the rib is required This eliminates much of the double handling that the old system required where the knife and the string were required e Reduced Effort During the task The aperture of the blade is set for the widest part of the rib This means when the blade is pulled through the thinner 80 of the rib the blade slides very easily as it is cutting through meat This significantly reduces the pulling effort required to pull the blade along the rib e Reduced Muscular Strain and Shoulder Strain The handle design means the elbow can be kept close to the body and not elevated high and away from the body during the pulling action The low elbow position during pulling refer to figure 11 reduces strain on the arms and shoulder compared to the high elbow position for the old method of performing this task refer to figure 9 e Improved Job Design The new job design allows for task rotation This reduces the fatigue associated with the repetitive movement patterns associated with performing the same task for prolonged periods of time e NB In addition to the ergonomic benefits the end product quality and yield were improved due to the closer cutting edge of
69. movements Above shoulder height No Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent No wrist e Wrist movements Palmer Flexion dorsi flexion ulnar or No radial deviation e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape No e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach Yes wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on No repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 17 Removing the Rib Set Old Method The results of the assessment are summarised in table 5 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 5 Figure 9 Using a string to pul
70. mp Job design Boning Room 29 Case Study 10 Slicing Workstation Boning Room 34 Case Study 11 Mincing Workstation Boning Room 38 Case Study 12 Workstation Design amp Use Packing Room 41 Sheep Case Studies 44 Case Study 13 Machine Guarding Band Saw Boning Room 44 Case Study 14 Machine Guarding Conveyors Boning Room 47 Case Study 15 Manual Handling Boning Room 49 Case Study 16 Punching Out the Sheep Slaughter Floor 52 Case Study 17 Job Rotation Slaughter Floor 56 Case Study 18 Legging Task Slaughter Floor 58 Case Study 19 Platform Design Slaughter Floor 62 Beef Case Study 65 Case Study 20 Head Lifting Task Slaughter Floor 65 Reference List 72 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 1 Introduction The introductory section of this report summarises the aims scope rationale and for undertaking the audit process The bulk of the report is case studies outlining the results from the hazard based assessment of the tasks that were examined Background Information Manual Handling MMH and Occupational Overuse OOS hazards hereafter referred to as ergonomic hazards are significant issues in the Meat Processing Industry nationally and in South Australia Incident rates of injury disease in the meat processing sector is approximately 6 times the Australian industry average WorkSafe 1995 Approximately 40 of these meat industry incidents relate to sprain and strain injuries Observ
71. n amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp Yes drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach Yes wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 34 Slicing Workstation Boning Room The results of the assessment are summarised in table 7 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 7 Figure 27 Slicing workstation Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 35 Recommendations Slicing Workstation 1 Workstation Design Working Height High priority Recommendation The height of the bench is 1100mm This is higher than the standard packing or boning workbench height The reason for thi
72. ned workers had sig Before after gains on all measures fewer injury reports than controls Ergonomics program resulted in some decrease in medication requirements and recovery days Trained groups had reduced traumatizing movements when compared with controls Psychophysical endurance doubled after training perceived exertion did not change ndustries 21 AUTHORS St Vincent et al 1989 Rosenfeld et al 1989 Geras et al unpublishe d Chaffin et al 1986 McKenzie et al 1985 Smith amp Smith 1984 TASK INDUSTRY amp SAMPLE Lifting Geriatric hospital 32 orderlies Varied Pharma ceutical 522 workers Varied Auto mfg Unknown plant leaders Lifting Warehouse 33 material handlers Varied Communications mfg 6 600 workers Supervision Textile mfg 100 supervisors General training principles could be applied to meat industry Assessment methods could be applied in the meat industry Incident data could be used for the meat industry Assessment tools modified for the meat industry Assessment tools modified for the meat industry Checklists modified for meat industry Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry RELEVANCE TO THE STUDY DESIGN MEAT INDUSTRY 12 18 months After only 12h classroom training Before After Physical training vs social activity Before Aft
73. nt access to the dangerous parts because they are unavoidably exposed during use eg the cutters on milling machines and the cutters of woodwork machine the use of an adjustable guard may be permissible in conjunction with other closely supervised conditions e g sound floor good lighting and adequate training of the operator page 76 The AS 4024 1 requires a hazards assessment of the plant design and its use to be carried out so that any guarding hazards can be identified assessed and controlled Figure 33 Pushing the carcass through the bandsaw requires the arms to travel past the blade up to the elbow of the operator Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 44 Hazards Associated with the Design and or Use of the Bandsaw Use Adjustment Guard on the Blade An adjustable guard is fitted to this machine and is used by operators As a general rule the guard is adjusted approximately 7 5 cm above the top of the carcass This is to provide enough clearance for the carcass on slightly different angles and to provide enough vision of the carcass and blade during the cutting process Personal Protective Equipment A mesh glove is not practical as a form of protection because the glove would become entangled with the blade on contact which would draw the person into the blade Rate of Work This is essentially a paced task That is the operator has to keep up with the people supplying the carcass to them If
74. ntrols at Volkswagen of America In Ergonomic interventions to prevent musculoskeletal injuries in industry Industrial Hygiene Science Series ACGIH Lewis Publishers pp 117 31 Erisman J Wick J 1992 Ergonomic and productivity improvements in an assembly clamping fixture In Kumar S ed Advances in industrial ergonomics and safety IV Philadelphia PA Taylor amp Francis pp 463 468 Fellows GL Freivalds A 1989 The use of force sensing resistors in ergonomic tool design In Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 33 Annual Meeting pp 713 717 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 25 Industries Fendrich DW Healy AF Meiskey L Crutcher RJ Litte W Borne LE 1988 Skill maintenance literature review and theoretical analysis AFHRL TP 87 73 Brooks AFB TX Air Force Human Resource Laboratory Freudenthal A van Riel MPJM Molenbroek JFM Snijders CJ 1991 The effect on sitting posture of a desk with a ten degree inclination using and adjustable chair and table Appl Ergonomics 22 5 329 336 Gagne RM Briggs LJ 1979 Principles of instructional design 2nd ed New York NY Holt Rinehard amp Winston Genaidy AM Delgado E amp Bustos T 1995 Active microbreak effects on muscoskeletal comfort ratings in meatpacking plants Ergonomics Vol 38 No 2 326 336 Journal article available at meeting Genaidy AM Mital A Bafna KM 1989 An endurance training programme for frequent man
75. nual handling and occupational overuse syndrome related injuries as some of the most frequent and severe injuries in the meat industry in South Australia This handbook is focused on providing an audit tool to identify assess and control these hazards in the meat industry in South Australia This handbook is intended for use by occupational health and safety personnel and others who have the responsibility for the identification assessment and control of manual handling related hazards within meat works What is Manual Handling Manual handling means an activity requiring the use of force exerted by a person to lift lower push pull carry or otherwise move hold or restrain any person animal object or thing Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 page 1 In terms of tasks in the meat industry this translates to a whole range of activities including cutting static muscle load in work postures repetitive movements pushing bins lifting and throwing product etc The audit tool described in this handbook is designed specifically for the meat processing industry Therefore the scope of factors examined covers not only typical manual handling hazards but those related to Occupational Overuse Syndrome injuries Within this handbook the term Ergonomic Hazards will be used to collectively describe both manual handling and occupational overuse syndrome hazards Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 2 Industries
76. oes provide significant variation for the work tasks that people perform 2 Manual Handling Training Medium Priority The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 The boning task does require a significant amount of repetitive arm movement both with the knife and gripping motions with the non knife hand eg refer to figures 20 22 and lifting some cartons figure 23 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 31 Figure 23 Lifting the full cartons onto the conveyor 3 Change workstation Layout Medium Priority When the carton is full it has to be lifted from the floor to the conveyor The carton weighs approximately 20 kg and is lifted approximately 8 10 times per day per boner refer to figure 23 If the box was mounted at the height of the conveyor it could be pushed directly onto the conveyor This would eliminate the manual lifting of the container during this task 4 Knife Sharpening High priority Recommendation Training in knife sharpening especially for new employees needs to continue Reductions in the sharpness of knives has been demonstrated as contributing to the increase in muscular effort
77. ord JK 1988 Transfer of training A review and directions for future research Personnel Psychology 41 63 105 Bergquist Ullman M Larsson U 1977 Acute low back pain in industry a controlled prospective study with special reference to therapy and confounding factors Acta Orthopedica Scandinavia 1701 117 Blackburn JD Sage JE 1992 Safety training and employer liability Technical amp Skills Training 3 5 29 33 Brown KC Sirles AT Hilyer JC Thomas KJ 1992 Cost effectiveness of a back school intervention for municipal employees Spine 17 10 1224 1228 Cal OSHA 1992 Cal OSHA s proposed ergonomics regulation section by section breakdown State of California Occupational Safety and Health Administration Campbell JP 1988 Training design for performance improvement In Campbell JP Campbell RJ amp Associates eds Productivity in organizations new perspectives from industrial and organisational psychology San Francisco Josey Bass Chaffin D Andersson GBJ 1991 Occupational biomechanics a ed New York NY Wiley Chaffin DB Gallay LS Woolley CB Kuciemba SR 1986 An evaluation of the effect of a training program on worker lifting postures Int J Industrial Ergonomics 1 127 136 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 24 Industries Cole HP Moss J Gohs FX Lacefield WE Barfield BJ Blyth DK 1984 Measuring learning in continuing education for engineers and scientists Phoenix
78. ored items on racking or to conduct general maintenance or installations is a common activity within meat processing operations AS 1657 titled Fixed Platforms Walkways and Landings 1992 provides the guidelines for the design and use of equipment being used for this purpose The design of ladders is not only critical for ensuring that people get up to an elevated working height but they are able to work safely when they are there If people are lifting items into and out of storage or reaching and working there may be additional hazards of balance and manual handling to consider in the design of the ladder system they are using The ladder in figures 18 and 19 is used at the Aldinga Table Turkeys site Figure 18 Standing on the top of the ladder Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 27 Figure 19 Moving the ladder Recommendations The ladder system in figures 18 amp 19 has the following safety benefits Stable Base The platform at the top of the steps provides a stable base for standing and loading items into and out of storage Hand Railings The platform has well designed railings ie correct height and running all the way around They are also painted for easy visual identification Step Design The steps have the correct ratio for height and angle This is important to ensure people do not trip which is common when the horizontal part of the step called the going overlaps
79. owing ergonomic design features e There is a return belt above the main belt This return belt is where the off cuts are placed This eliminates the bending and twisting to throw product into dump bins behind the boner e There is reduced double handling of the product as it is put on the belt and sorted once by one operator This centralises the sorting process which reduces the number of dump bins that are required This improves access around the belt as there are less dump bins improves general access and egress around the room It also eliminates the need for the boners to throw product over the belt or behind themselves to the dump bins e The musculoskeletal strain of the boning task is further reduced by rotation of people through boning and slicing tasks This provides relief from the repetitive and more forceful movement patterns of boning by providing people with the opportunity of doing some slicing tasks Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 16 Case Study Number 4 Removing the Rib Set Organisation George Chapman Pty Ltd Table 4 This Table Summarises The Results Of The Audit For The Old Configuration Of The Workplace Layout Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle No e Shoulder
80. pallet close to the scales to reduce the distance over which the carton is to be carried Review if a conveyor could be used between the scales and the pallet to eliminate lifting e Reducing Manual Handling Could a scissor lift be put under the pallet a spring or hydraulic base so the pallet was always at waist height That is when the pallet is empty it comes to waist height and then it is lowered under weight as items are stacked on the pallet e Task Rotation Rotate people between this lifting task and a more static task e g weighing packing or wrapping the product This will provide some variety in terms of movement and muscle load that will reduce fatigue for the operators Step 4 Monitor amp Evaluate This stage involves documenting time frames and responsibility for who is going to mange the implementation and evaluation of the risk control strategies that were derived in step 4 The assessment form provides a spread sheet that requires the following information e A list of the hazards and their assessed priority e Risk control solutions e Timeframe and responsible person for implementing changes e Review date Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 12 Industries Tips for Good Ergonomic Audits e Conducted by a team not an individual This provides a cross section of opinions about what hazards exist e Measured against standards Using a checklist which has been derived from a standard provides a more standar
81. place Layout Identified Factor Examples Of Assessed Factors Is Factor Within Safe Limits 1 Posture amp Movement e Repetitive exertions Number of movement per cycle No e Shoulder movements Above shoulder height Yes Reaching down and behind Yes e Forearm movements Inward or outward rotation with a bent No wrist e Wrist movements Palmer Flexion dorsi flexion ulnar or Yes radial deviation e General Manual Movements amp posture during task No Handling 2 Tool Design amp Use e General design amp Use Handle storage weight amp shape Yes e Blade Sharp Yes 3 Workstation Design e Access Steps space handle floor surfaces amp No drainage e Layout Space to move reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on No repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry
82. r experience Yes No e Inadequate Training Yes No F LOAD CHARACTERISTICS Lifting Carrying the Load Easy to move Comfortable Greatest Imaginable effort 0 1 Push Pull or Restraining forces G WORK ENVIRONMENT WORK ORGANISATION Workspace Does not cause Inconvenience Causes extra effort Hazard for Will cause Will cause a a problem safe work major injury fatality 0 Thermal Comfort Lf S S S 0 1 2 Floor Surface Wet Tripping Slipping hazards SUMMARISING RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTS Describe assessment of the main hazards associated with task include severity of hazard how many people exposed to hazard Overall Risk Assessment Rating Highest rating on any score 410M 0 Skem Jayes jnoge seep paysebbns 0 pebeinoous SiayJOM Y e amp 40M 1194 YUM payeloosse sys ay noqe pa jnsuod syse y Huryeyapun ajdoed aly uoiensuoo I 6uljpuey yenuew azes ul Bulures sioyJOm aly uolyeonpe Y Buiu 1 Ag SIIAS 2 2Bp jmouy Bulaoiduy pue ssoudsemy Buisiey e S jNp yY IS S91 JOM p puLjeq o UDAIB UOI EJBPISUOD S e U9191 S 1 1A1 9V JO 9u nb s y S puew p moj y6iy JO spon d Jama pue LOS U9 SISUOO BJOWW JO MOJJE 0 Syse Buljnpayosay Ag uonesiuebio ey YOM YBnolyL snbijye4 Buionpsy Z Buiu Isop Buiuueld Buisiuebsoes Aq paonpas oq Buljpuey ued e Buljpueyes Bursiwiuiw 40 Bulyeuru
83. r the design it must conform to the requirements of AS 1657 1992 Access amp Egress The steps up to the platform need to conform to AS 1657 1992 The dimensions and handrail requirements are summarised in AS 1657 1992 If the change of level in the split platform is more than 300 mm a step and handrail will need to be fitted again meeting the design requirements summarised in AS 1657 1992 Movement on the platform If people are crossing past each other on the platform then the reasons for this have to be discussed in terms of operational requirements to minimise this since people are walking with knives in their hands The Occupational Health Safety amp Welfare Regulations 1995 state the following in relation to the provision of space for movement If work must occur in the passage or space where people walk for egress must be at least 600mm wide That is the space behind the people working on the chain needs to be 600mm wide page 55 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 63 Surface of the platform The surface of the platform needs to be free from any tripping hazards eg poor matting with adequate drainage maintenance and cleaning so there are no tripping or slipping hazards Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 64 Case Study Number 20 Head Lifting Task Slaughter Floor Organisation Agpro Operations Pty Ltd Table 13 This Table
84. re Layout There is a reach to the animal refer to figure 42 This is because there is a need to have the animal in front of the platform so the operator has to bend in front of their feet to grasp the animal but they lean back during much of the cutting Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 60 Recommendations Legging Task Task Rotation High priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical between work tasks Ideally 2 hourly rotation between tasks would provide some meaningful change in muscle loads for the work tasks along the chain Knife Sharpening High priority Recommendation Training in knife sharpening especially for new employees needs to continue Reductions in the sharpness of knives has been demonstrated as contributing to the increase muscular effort whilst using the knife and contributes to an increase in the risk of cuts when using the knife Manual Handling Training High priority Recommendation The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 A 3 hour task specific training session in this area should satisfy this requirement Work Layout Medium Priority Recommendation
85. reaks industry worker health Not all recommended job changes implemented workers still complain Data inadequate for Luopajarvi et al 1982 Food production packing tasks 200 workers Redesigned packing machine Principles of workstation re design can be applied to the meat industry Decreases in neck elbow and wrist pain McKenzie et Telecommunications Redesigned Tool design and method Incidence rate of OOS al 1985 equipment manufacturer handles on of ergonomics training decreased from 2 2 to rigorous statistical 6600 employees tools amp could be adapted for the 53 cases 200 000 work evaluation ergonomics meat industry hours and lost days reduced from 1001 129 in 3 years training Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 17 STUDY TYPE OF WORK TASK amp NUMBER OF WORKERS Rigdon Wall Bakery 630 employees Street Journal 1992 Lutz and Manufacturer of sutures Hansford and wound closure 1987 products More than 1000 people Jonsson Telephone assembly 1988b glass blowing mining work 25 total workers Silverstein et al 1987 Investment casting plant 136 workers Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry oo aal k i 4 Industries METHOD OF INTERVEN TION Formed RELEVANCE TO THE MEAT INDUSTRY SUMMARY OF RESULTS
86. rios 1 Eliminating or Minimising Manual Handling Hazards This is the most effective approach as the hazard is either eliminated or minimized through engineering re design of the process The checklist requires a yes if an option is available and some space on the form to determine what the strategy might be Examples would include e Reviewing if the task is necessary at all e Can another method be used e Developing mechanical aids eg using conveyors rather than dump bins Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 8 Industries Example 1 Eliminating Manual Handling Hazards by Design Head lifting Task One example of a demanding manual handling task is lifting the animal s head between the main chain and a head chain Figure 4 Carrying a 45 kg head between the Figure 5 Trying to lift the head onto the head main chain and head chain chain photo courtesy of Agpro photo courtesy of Agpro Figure 6 A head lifting acting ep naie lifting the head photo courtesy of South Burnett Meat Works Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 9 SAFER Industries 2 Reducing Fatigue through Work Reorganisation This will involve a review of the work organisation to reduce double handling balance work rates rest schedules which can if not well managed increase the risk of fatigue and injury Example 2 Task Rotation Between Boning amp Slicing Tasks The key to reducing physical fatigue with task rotation is to move b
87. rk NY Wiley LaBar G 1992 A battle plan for back injury prevention Occupational Hazards 29 33 Liker JK Evans SM Ulin S 1990 The strengths and limitations of lecture based training in the acquisition of ergonomics knowledge and skill Int J Industr Ergonomics 5 147 159 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 27 Liker JK Nagamachi M Lifshitz YR 1989 A comparative analysis of participatory ergonomics programs in U S and Japan manufacturing plants Int J Industr Ergonomics 3 185 199 Little RM 1987 Redesign of a hand tool a case study Semin Occup Med 2 1 71 72 Luopajarvi T Kuorinka I Kukkonen R 1982 The effects of ergonomic measures on the health of the neck and upper extremities of assembly line packers a four year follow up study In Noro ed Tokyo Japan Proceedings of the 8 Congress of the International Ergonomics Association pp 160 161 Luttmann A Jager M 1992 Reduction in muscular strain by work design electromyographical field studies in a weaving mill In Kumar S ed Advances in industrial ergonomics and safety IV Philadelphia PA Taylor amp Francis pp 553 560 Lutz G Hansford T 1987 Cumulative trauma disorder controls The ergonomics program at Ethicon Inc J Hand Surg 12A 5 Part 2 863 66 McKenzie F Storment J Van Hook P Armstrong TJ 1985 A program for control of repetitive trauma disorders associated with hand tool operations in a telecommunication
88. rs design handbook New York NY McGraw Hill WorkSafe 1995 Injury Disease Statistical Update for the Meat Processing Industry Sector Sydney no SS a Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 31
89. rs in engineering and design Sixth edition New York NY McGraw Hill Scholey M 1983 Back stress the effects of training nurses to lift patients in a clinical situation Int J Nursing Studies 20 1 13 Silverstein B Fine L Stetson D 1987 Hand wrist disorders among investment casting plant workers J Hand Surg 12A 5 Part 2 838 44 Smith BJ Delahaye BL 1987 How to be an effective trainer 2nd ed New York Wiley Smith LA Smith JL 1984 Observations on in house ergonomics training for first line supervisors Appl Ergonomics 15 11 14 Snook SH Campanelli RA Hart JW 1978 A study of three preventive approaches to low back injury Journal of Occupational Medicine 20 478 481 St Vincent M Tellier C Lortie M 1989 Training in handling an evaluative study Ergonomics 32 191 210 Swanson NG Sauter SL Chapman LJ 1989 The design of rest breaks for video display terminal work a review of the relevant literature In Mital A ed Advances in industrial ergonomics and safety Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 30 Tichauer ER 1991 Ergonomics In Clayton and Clayton eds Patty s Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 4 rev ed Vol 1B General Principles New York NY Wiley US Department of Health and Human Services 1994 Participatory Ergonomic Interventions in Meatpacking Plants NIOSH Book available for viewing at meeting Van Cott H Kincaid R 1973 Human engineering guide to
90. s involved in the study e The method of intervention e A summary of the results e Additional comments about the study Table 1 summarises the readings related to engineering based hazard management risk control strategies These readings are discussed in section 2 Table 2 summarises the readings related to a variety of hazard management risk control strategies These readings are discussed in section 3 Table 3 summarises the readings related to ergonomics training as a form of risk control and are discussed in section 3 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 11 Table 1 Engineering Risk Control References section five on page 24 contains a full list of the references that are summarised in table 1 Ms R a aSa aaa SSO AE Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 12 i Qustries STUDY amp RELEVANCE TO PROBLEM amp RISK FACTOR CONTROL MEASURE EFFECT TARGET MEAT INDUSTRY POPULATION Miller Ransohoff and Tichauer Assessment protocol of dexterous movements Muscle fatigue during forceps use frequent errors while Reduced muscle tension determined by EMG Redesigned forceps increase surface area 1971 could be used for some passing instruments fewer passing errors Surgeons hand manipulative tasks bayonet forceps in the meat industry Armstrong Assessment process Excessive muscle for
91. s is the slicing work task uses less forceful cutting movements and there are more fine slicing movements in the task The greater the precision of the task the higher the bench height needs to be This height is at the high end of the scale for this precision task Some form of platform or floor height change may be required for very short operators but the bench height is suitable for the current users 2 Workstation Design Storage High Priority Recommendation There is the provision for the meat cuts to be stored in a carton that is on the bench This eliminates bending to a carton if it were on the floor It also eliminates any shoulder strain that might occur if the arms had to be elevated repetitively to throw items into a carton on the bench top 3 Task Rotation High Priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical through this work task The current system of half day rotations between boning and slaughter tasks combined with rotations within the boning room does provide significant variation for the work tasks that people perform 4 Manual Handling Training Medium Priority The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must Ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision
92. s manufacturing facility Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 46 11 674 78 Miller M Ransohoff J Tichauer ER 1971 Ergonomic evaluation of a redesigned surgical instrument Appl Ergonomics 2 4 194 197 Mital A Kilbom A 1992 Design selection and use of hand tools to alleviate trauma to the upper extremities Part Il The scientific basis knowledge base for the guide Int J Industr Ergonomics 10 7 21 Moore JS amp Garg A 1996 Use of participatory ergonomics teams to address muscoskeletal hazards in the red meat packing industry American Journal of Industrial Medicine 29 402 408 Moore JS amp Garg A 1994 Upper extremity disorders in a pork processing plant Relationships between job risk factors and morbidity Am Ind Assoc J 55 703 715 Moore JS amp Garg A 1997 Changes in workers compensation expenses following implementation of a participatory ergonomics program in a red meat products corporation and a meat packing plant Conference proceedings Managing ergonomics in the 1990 s June 120 124 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 28 Industries Moran JB Ronk RM 1987 Personal protective equipment In Salvendy G ed Handbook of human factors New York NY John Wiley amp Sons pp 876 894 NIOSH 1981 Work practices guide for manual lifting Cincinnati OH U S Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control National Institut
93. sk but can reduce the risk of injury by improving where possible the manual handling techniques of people performing the task Example 3 Manual Handling Training In many cases people have to manual handle cartons and other products in the plant In this case manual handling training would be required to ensure that when people manual handle they do it in the safest and most practical way This is not only an effective risk control strategy it is a legislative requirement The South Australian Manual Handling Code of Practice 1990 states the following in relation to the requirement for manual handling training The employer must ensure that the employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 Figure 9 Manual handling cartons in the packing area photo courtesy of Aldinga Table Turkeys Ergonomic Audit Tool User Guide 11 Industries In figure 9 the operator has to use the following manual handling technique e Hold the carton close to her body e Do not twist her spine e Keep her spine in a straight neutral position e Get a good grip on the carton e Plan the lift and test the load Despite using these safe manual handling techniques other risk control strategies can be used in combination with safe manual handling techniques This would include the following e Room layout keep the
94. sk has to be performed Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 55 Case Study Number 17 Job Rotation Slaughter Floor Organisation Tatiara Meat Company Good design from a safety perspective requires more than just achieving good results in the physical design The management of the job is critical to ensure that the safety of the work is optimised One of the commonly used strategies to vary the muscle loads that people are exposed to in a task is to rotate people between work tasks This is particularly important in slaughter floor tasks because of the repetitive nature of the work people do That is if a particular task requires a limited number of muscles to produce highly repetitive movements or maintain a fixed work posture those muscles and tendons may become fatigued which may lead to injury Job Rotation in the Slaughter Floor The best form of job rotation is where people move through tasks that require different muscles to be used differently For example a task that requires more forces in the movements eg punching our the sheep versus a task that requires less repetitive force eg Operating air tools The more varied the tasks are means the more variety the muscles will have and therefore the risk of injury will decrease The barriers to this system in the meat industry have been the tally system and other industrial based issues There should be a structured job rotation program
95. t Space to move reach tools reach No wash and product 4 Task Variety e Rotation between tasks At least 2 hourly rotations on Yes repetitive tasks e Training Induction amp ongoing training Yes 5 Environment e Thermal Air temperature amp air flow Yes e Lighting Adequate for work tasks Yes 6 Individual Factors e New employee Training skills amp supervision Yes e Returning from break Training skills amp supervision Yes e Pre existing injury Capability limits of injury amp task Yes demands The assessed factors have been derived from the reference documents listed in table 1 page 3 Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 29 Workstation amp Job Design Boning Room The results of the assessment are summarised in table 6 This section of the report provides a summary of the hazards associated with each aspect of the task that was highlighted in table 6 Figure 21 Using the stab grip when cutting the carcass Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 30 Figure 22 Pulling part of the carcass left hand and cutting with the knife right hand Recommendations Boning Task 1 Task Rotation High priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical through this work task The current system of half day rotations between boning and slaughter tasks combined with rotations within the boning room d
96. task on a continuous basis Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 53 Recommendations Punching Out the Sheep Task Rotation High priority Recommendation Rotate people as frequently as is practical through this work task Currently they rotate every 1 5 hours from this task onto other tasks in the slaughter floor This rotation between tasks provides some meaningful change in muscle loads for the work tasks along the chain Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 54 Recommendations Punching Out the Sheep cont Manual Handling Training High priority Recommendation The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 A 3 hour task specific training session in this area should satisfy this requirement Automate or Semi Automate the Task High Priority Recommendation Examine the technological options for automating or semi automating this process Technical advice is available from Dr Lewis Atkinson Meat amp Livestock Australia Even if the automated function could only process the mutton and part of the lamb that would still represent a significant reduction in the amount of times this ta
97. the SA Meat Industry 70 Manual Handling Training High priority Recommendation The Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 states the following in relation to people undertaking manual handling at work The employer must ensure that employees involved in the manual handling task receive appropriate training including training in safe manual handling techniques and appropriate supervision page 40 A 3 hour task specific training session in this area should satisfy this requirement Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 71 Reference List Refer To Bibliography Report For A More Extensive List Of Manual Handling Hazard Management Reference Material Australian Standard 1657 1992 Elevated Platforms Walkways amp Stairs Standards Australia Australian Standard 4024 1 1996 Safe Guarding of Machinery Standards Australia Code of Practice for Manual Handling 1990 WorkCover SA Consolidated Occupational Health Safety amp Welfare Regulations 1995 WorkCover SA Cook T Rosecrance J Zimmermann C Gerleman D amp Ludewig P 1998 Electromyographic analysis of a repetitive hand gripping task International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics Vol 4 No 2 185 198 Geniady A M Delgado E amp Bustos T 1995 Active microbreak effects on muscular comfort ratings in meat packing plants Ergonomics Vol 38 No 2 326 336 Grant K amp Habes D 1997
98. the tool Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 21 Case Study Number 5 Machine Guarding Organisation George Chapman Pty Ltd Machine guarding around belts is a critical design issue There are Australian standards for machine guarding generally and for the guarding of conveyors The general requirements for Guarding are specified in Australian Standard 4024 1 1996 It states that every projection such as a set screw bolt or key on a exposed moving part of machinery should be sunk shrouded or otherwise effectively guarded page 49 The AS 4024 1 requires a hazard assessment of the plant design and its use to be carried out so that any guarding hazards can be identified assessed and controlled Chapman s did this with their new conveyors that were being used in the boning room Figure 12 illustrates the conveyors that are being used Figure 12 The belt conveyors used in the new boning room design This conveyor has the following safety benefits e Rotating Spindles Covered The yellow capping on the end of the conveyor covers the spindle on the end of the conveyor This eliminates any risk of entrapment e End of the Belt is Covered The powered roller on the end of the belt is covered with the extended side of the belt that eliminates any risk of entrapment by end of the roller or the belt e Improved Manual Handling People reported they felt comfortable about standing closer to the guar
99. ther boning rooms are looking to have job rotation with white meat between boning higher muscle demand and slicing less muscular exertions required Designers who have designed beef boning workstations for job rotation have also embraced this concept In this case a team of people work on a side of beef The team has boning tasks on the rail and on the bench slicing tasks and a packer People rotate between these work tasks on a 3 hourly basis that can provide significant muscular variation in the work people do The team concept also allows for tracing the product from the team so this has quality benefits This concept is used at Stockyards beef processing plant in Queensland Ail the successful job rotation programs eg Lutz amp Harsford 1987 have required significant training for people to do a range of tasks This provides not only a safer work environment but it can provide the employer with a more flexible labor force because people can do a range of tasks Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 10 Industries Section 4 Summary of Risk Control Strategies This section provides tables that summarise the readings that have been used in the previous sections of this report For each of the references in these tables the following summary information is provided e The authors of the study e The type of work task examined e Relevance of the study to the meat processing industry sector e The number of worker
100. tics Hum Factors 30 1 61 69 Jonsson B 1988a The static load component in muscle work Eur J Appl Physiol 57 305 310 Jonsson B 1988b Electromyographic studies of job rotation Scand J Work Environ Health 14 1 108 09 Jorgensen K Jensen B Stokholm J 1987 Postural strain and discomfort during loading and unloading flights an ergonomic study In Asfour SS ed Trends in ergonomics human factors IV North Holland Elsevier Science Publishers B V pp 663 673 Keyserling VM Herrin GD Chaffin DB 1980 Isometric strength testing as a means of controlling medical incidents on strenuous jobs JOM 22 5 332 36 Keyserling WM Herrin GD Chaffin DB Armstrong TJ Foss ML 1978 Establishing an industrial strength testing program Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 41 10 730 36 Kilbom A 1988 Intervention programmes for work related neck and upper limb disorders strategies and evaluation Ergonomics 31 5 735 47 Knowlton RG Gilbert JC 1983 Ulnar deviation and short term strength reductions as affected by a curve handled ripping hammer and a conventional claw hammer Ergonomics 26 2 172 179 Komaki J Barwick KD Scott LR 1980 Effect of training and feedback Component analysis of a behavioural safety program J Appl Psychol 65 261 270 Konz S 1979 Work design Columbus OH Grid Publishing Co Kyllonen PC Alluisi EA 1987 Learning and foretting facts and skills In Salvendy G ed Handbook of Human Factors New Yo
101. trategies Part 1 Tool Modifications The Problem Tool Orientation Tool Dimensions Tool Materials Part 2 Workstation Modifications The Problem Responsibilities for Design Section 3 Job Rotation Risk Control Strategies Section 4 Summary of Risk Control Strategies Table 1 Engineering Risk Control Strategies Table 2 General Risk Control Strategies Table 3 Ergonomic Training Risk Control Strategies Section 5 Bibliography of Ergonomic Readings Page Number 1 1 amp RON DY N O 0 o Section 1 Introduction A systemic approach to the management of musculoskeletal injuries has to be taken This is because there is not one problem for which there is one quick fix solution The complex nature of the interaction of people with their work means the management of hazards covers a range of levels within the risk control hierarchy Structure of this Report This literature review report covers the management of manual handling hazards in the meat processing industry sector This divides the hazard management strategies into engineering and job design strategies the relative merits of the two strategies are discussed This report contains the following sections e Engineering based hazard management strategies e Job design based hazard management strategies e g Job rotation amp training e Summary of the risk control strategies e Bibliography of relevant hazard management references Bibliography Report for t
102. ual carrying tasks Ergonomics 32 149 155 Geras DT Pepper CD Rodgers SH 1988 An integrated ergonomics program at the Goodyear Tyre amp Rubber Company Unpublished Glover JR 1976 Prevention of back pain In Jayson M ed The lumbar spine and back pain New York NY Grune and Stratton Goel VK Rim K 1987 Role of gloves in reducing vibration an analysis for pneumatic chipping hammer Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 48 1 9 14 Goldstein IL 1975 Training In Margolis BL Kroes WH ed The human side of accident prevention Springfield IL Thomas Grandjean E 1988 Fitting the task to the man a textbook of occupational ergononomics 4 ed London UK Taylor amp Francis Grant K amp Habes D 1997 An electromyographic study of strength and upper extremity muscle activity in simulated meat cutting tasks Applied Ergonomics Vol 28 No 2 129 137 Habes DJ 1984 Use of EMG in a kinesiological study in industry Appl Ergonomics 15 4 297 301 Hsiang S McGorry R amp Bezverkhny 1997 The use of Taguchi s methods for the evaluation of industrial knife design Ergonomics Vol 40 No 4 476 490 Itani T Onishi K Sakai K Shindo H 1979 Occupational hazard of female film rolling workers and effects of improved working conditions Arh hig rada toksikol 30 1243 1251 Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 26 Industries Johnson SL 1988 Evaluation of powered screwdriver design characteris
103. uct type and line speed These are just some of the variables which can affect how optimal the human machine interface can be Modifications to workstations like tools have to be sensitive to safety hygiene task and individual requirements Figure 3 Slicing workstations that are set at different heights The shape of the table also reduces the reach to the belt Figure courtesy of Greens Meat Works WA There is a whole range of design factors that can be integrated into meat processing operations The studies that are discussed only represent some basic examples of the range of workstation design changes Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 5 dustries An example of this would be packing workstations Basic issues such as having the box run parallel to the belt can reduce overreaching Luttmann amp Jager 1992 This way the person only reaches over the width of the box approx 300mm rather than the length of the box approx 600mm One bench height will not fit all but having individual workstations for boning or slicing which are not on the main conveyor refer to Figure 3 allow some height adjustment by having different benches set at different heights A good design outcome is dependent on having a quality design process Responsibilities for Design In terms of responsibility for designing a safe workplace the code of practice for manual handling SA 1990 states Plant equipment containers an
104. ui y 1 Epoubisap spew oq pie y ued e amp PSN 9q pjnoo YoIUM s uiyoLew JO Spie 3194 Y 4SP 94 OP 0 Spie JO SoUIyOeW JO UOISIAOJd y 10 LUSIUBYDA I p sn oq poyo u JayjOUe UPD e i AMeSS899U jse y S yse y Bueuiwua 1 Ag spiezey Buljpuey enuen BuisiwuN 10 Buneuiwa L uosiddg s uodo 01 u09 ySIY mainay ajqisuodsay Aq X 4 ou S17 SUOI dOC 01 U0D YSIY sountul Buljpuey jo sysis Burlonpes o soyoeosdde jUssasJIp e1IBABS 2I 1U o WAU ASN IM oym jdo d y YIM uoeynsuoo UI padojensp aq pjnoys suonjos O1 UOD e eyeudoidde q jybiw yoiym o1jU09 Jo sed y Seyeo pul uons nb e 104 JaMsue S Y o gjqeoldde r ym s xoq J911 suolpnijysu NV1d NOILOV ANV LSITHOAHD IOULNOD MSI Vv SdALS Table of Contents Page Number Introduction 2 Background Information 2 Aims amp Objectives of this Project 2 Scope of the Assessment 3 Legislative Requirements 4 Hazard Priorities 5 Results and Recommendations 6 Pork Case Studies 7 Case Study 1 Sorting Task Boning Room 7 Case Study 2 De Rinder Machine Boning Room 10 Case Study 3 Boning Room Layout Boning Room 13 Case Study 4 Removing the Rib Set Boning Room 17 Case Study 5 Machine Guarding Boning Room 22 Case Study 6 Job Rotation Boning Room 23 Case Study 7 Hose Attachment Whole Plant 25 Poultry Case Studies 27 Case Study 8 Ladder Design Whole Plant 27 Case Study 9 Workstation a
105. ummarised in table 2 Wa SSS ES Bibliography Report for the SA Meat Industry 16 STUDY TYPE OF WORK TASK METHOD OF RELEVANCE TO THE SUMMARY OF amp NUMBER OF INTERVEN MEAT INDUSTRY RESULTS WORKERS TION Jonsson Telephone assembly Job rotation Task rotation Job rotation in light duty 1988 manufacturing printed mechanism could be tasks not as effective as circuit cards glass used in the meat in dynamic heavy duty blowing mining work industry tasks ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Measured static load in trapezius muscle with EMG Westgaard Production of cable forms Introduced Examples of design Turnover decreased Positive results of and Aaras 100 workers adjustable changes to workstations musculoskeletal sick interventions verified by 1984 1985 workstations eg counterbalance leave reduced by 2 3 reductions in trapezius and fixtures tools could be used in over 8 year period muscle EMG counterbalan the meat industry productivity increased ced tools Reduced Itani et al Photographic film rolling Job design of task Reduction in Post intervention 1979 workers 124 total workers worktime rotation amp rest breaks for cervicobrachial disorder productivity 86 of in two groups increased repetitive tasks could be and low back preintervention levels number of applied to the meat complaints improved rest b
106. under it and eventually this metal burns the hands of the operators holding the hose In addition people use their thumb to create extra water pressure that over time can lead to soreness to the muscles and tendons in the hand wrist area Figure 15 illustrates a hose attachment that is used by Chapman s over the end of the hose The cylindrical shape allows the hose to be held with a power grip for downward application when washing the floor But the grip can also be changed to hold the hose in an elevated position for washing down equipment refer to figure 16 which is a safer grip than just holding the hose refer to figure 17 This is because there is less risk of getting burned and the larger grip on the hose with the attachment can reduce the muscular action for the grip so the risk of overuse injury can be reduced Figure 15 Attachment on the end of the hose Provides a more comfortable grip on the hose and keeps the hand away from the hot water and hot metal edge on the hose Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 25 Figure 16 Hosing down equipment above shoulder height Figure 17 The old hose design with no cover Metal elements of the hose end heat up and burn the operators hand Ergonomic Hazard Management Case Studies for the SA Meat Industry 26 Case Study Number 8 Working at Elevated Heights Organisation Aldinga Table Turkeys Working at elevated heights to retrieve st
107. xes where applicable Spaces allow you to write further information where required If you identify jobs where possible risks exist use the risk assessment checklist to further examine those jobs Task s Task Description Operator Feedback Ask people doing the task or those who have familiarity with the task what they think the hazards might be What do the accident incident or other safety records tell you about the hazards associated with this task STEP 2 RISK ASSESSMENT A REPETITION WHOLE BODY Idle most of the time no regular exertions B FORCE Hand fingers Nothing at all D POSTURE Wrist Deviation Neutral Forearms 0 Elbows 0 Shoulder Consistent conspicuous pauses or very slow motions Slow steady exertion motion may have frequent pauses Steady motion exertion may have infrequent pauses Rapid steady motion exertion few if any pauses Very rapid motion exertion difficulty keeping up no pauses C GRIP STRESS Fingers Maximum Tolerable No grip stress Comfortable Greatest imaginable Comfortable effort 6 1 Wrist Palm E PERSONAL FACTORS Extreme Range of Comfortable Motion e New employee under 12 months or returning from extended leave Yesi No e Older workers or those with recurrent disabilities Yesi No O e Restrictions imposed by personal protective equipment Yesi No e Inadequate skills o

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