Worker Injuries in Southern California’s Warehousing Industry: How to Better Protect Workers in This Burgeoning Industry?

Dangerous conditions and worker injuries in the rapidly growing warehousing industry have gained attention in recent years, with accounts typically drawing on worker reports and investigative journalism. We analyzed workers’ compensation injury claims and California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) citations in Southern California’s large warehousing sector. Claims increased from 2014 to 2018, with a majority of injuries caused by repetitive motion, lifting and other ergonomic risk factors. Cal/OSHA cited employers for violating standards to protect workers from unsafe vehicle operations, dangerous machinery and equipment, and falls; and for failing to implement injury prevention programs. These citations address the causes of some worker injuries; however, no Cal/OSHA citations were issued for violating the state’s Repetitive Motion Injuries prevention standard. Nor do enforcement activities address the underlying causes highlighted by workers—high production quotas and a relentless work pace—that characterize the industry. We discuss the value and limitations of our approach and the implications of our results.

Automated Device for Uncapping Multiple-Size Bioanalytical Sample Tubes Designed to Reduce Technician Strain and Increase Productivity

Technicians in a commercial laboratory manually uncap up to 700 sample tubes daily in preparation for bioanalytical testing. Manually twisting off sample tube caps not only is a time-consuming task, but also poses increased risk for muscle fatigue and repetitive-motion injuries. An automated device capable of uncapping sample tubes at a rate faster than the current workflow would be valuable for minimizing strain on technicians’ hands and saving time. Although several commercial sample tube–uncapping products exist, they are not always usable for a workload that uses a mix of tube sizes and specific workflow. A functioning uncapping device was developed that can semi-automatically uncap sample tubes with three different heights and diameters and was compatible with the workflow in a commercial laboratory setting. Under limited testing, the average success rate with uncapping each of the three sample tube sizes or a mix of them was 90% or more, more than three times faster than manual uncapping, and met standard acceptance criteria using mass spectrometry. Our device with its current performance is still a prototype, requiring further development. It showed promise for ergonomic benefit to the laboratory technicians, however, reducing the necessity to manually unscrew caps.

Ergonomic Redesign of a Traditional Jewelry-Polishing Workstation

Jewelry production is one of the largest employment sectors in the global economy. This case study focuses on the design of a jewelry-polishing workstation with the objectives of mitigating repetitive-motion injuries, improving worker productivity and efficiency, increasing polisher career longevity, and reducing the training time required for new polishers to reach the professional criterion level of production performance. The result is a new polishing workstation that meets the ergonomics and production requirements of jewelry polishers while improving their quality of life and extending the duration of their careers. The polishing station is based on the application of detailed ergonomic and user-centric methodologies.

A Time-Interval Analysis of Repetitive Motion Injuries in a Sorting Facility

This paper documents research into repetitive motion injuries (RMIs) occurring at a used garment sorting facility, with a focus on the Poisson distribution model and associated time interval analysis. Time interval analysis is used to confirm existence of a Poisson process. The Poisson process and distribution is then implemented to model the occurrence of RMIs at the target facility, as well as employed in a proactive effort to track and reduce RMIs. As a major player within this labor-intensive industry, the industrial partner experiences a significant number of repetitive motion injuries (RMIs). Analysis is provided on the Poisson process, and the salient RMI risk factors and ergonomic principles that might affect application of the Poisson distribution model. This paper also reviews proposed methodologies for collecting RMI risk factor data, tracking RMI accident or “incident” data, gathering population-specific anthropometric data, and developing RMI hazard reduction strategies. The Poisson model is presented as a structured methodology for the prediction and control of repetitive motion injuries.