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What Do Workers Say... |
These workers need protection from ergonomics hazards where they work. Read their stories and then take action to protect worker safety.
Keta Ortiz, UNITE Local 89, New York, Sewing Machine Operator Keta Ortiz was a 52-year-old sewing machine operator, who had been a member of UNITE Local 89 for 24 years when in 1992 her whole life came crashing down around her. She started getting cramps that woke her up every night. The cramps lasted one or two hours, without relief. She woke up with hands frozen like claws and had to soak them in hot water to be able to move her fingers. She was awake two or three hours every night, often crying. Exhausted every day, she had no choice but to work. In the beginning the pain got better on the weekend. Then it didn't. This agony lasted months, then a year and then five long years. There are no words to explain what went through her mind in those hours in the middle of the night. The desperation, the fear that eats at your mind. The terror she felt when she realized she was going to have to stop working and didn't have money to pay the rent. She worked and worked through the pain, until she couldn't take it any more. Without work she was disoriented, very depressed, empty. She thought, "I am useless, a vegetable." Negative thoughts invaded her mind and took over her days. "Who are these people who oppose an ergonomics standard? Have they ever worked in a factory? Tell them it took me two and a half years before I saw my first workers' compensation check. Tell them the operation I needed was delayed over two years by the insurance company...that I lost my and my family's health insurance. Tell them that after dedicating so many years to my job, I destroyed my hands, damaged my mental health and sacrificed the joy I felt in living. And I get barely $120 week in workers' compensation payments." Maria Olivas, UAW Local 2110, New York, Researcher, Writer and Editor Maria described her injury during her testimony: "Imagine if you will being sunburned to blisters for the entire length of your limb, then having your skin stripped away with a vegetable peeler from the tip of your index finger to the collarbone, around your wrist and around your elbow—every movement creates the sensation that a Brillo pad soaked in lemon juice is being scrubbed over the raw, pus-oozing flesh by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now imagine that, in addition to this pain, you have lost half of your upper body strength, can no longer wash and clothe yourself or open doors and that no one believes you and some people mock you to your face. This is the reality of MSDs, this is the anguish that we who support the standard want to protect everyone else from." Heidi Eberhardt, Allstone, Mass., International Trade Specialist In the fall of 1998, when she was 30 years old, Heidi Eberhardt was injured at her job from working on a computer. She was working 40 hours per week at a dot com electronic publishing company. Heidi worked in the department responsible for researching and writing about international trade issues and used a computer most of the day. She had no education or training about ergonomics or working safely on a computer. At first her symptoms just were annoying and included achiness and loss of dexterity. Eventually her symptoms included tingling and would not go away, even over the weekend. When the tingling, numbness and loss of dexterity became so severe that she could no longer type or do anything on the computer, let alone perform any hand-related tasks outside of work, her doctor let her off of work for four months under the workers' compensation system. When she returned to light duty for 1-2 hours a week, her symptoms had not completely gone away. She was still working in pain. Since then Heidi has switched to a job where she does not use a computer, but even writing, looking through files, etc., still hurts her hands. A year and a half after being inured, at age 31, she is still on workers' compensation, and still working only 12 hours per week. She is no longer contributing in a productive way to the workforce and under the workers' compensation system, she doesn't pay taxes. After years of building her career and mastering research and writing skills, she is faced with having to find a new career that does not require a computer, reduced income and increased medical expenses and chronic pain which affects her work productivity. Heidi leads a restricted personal life and is unable to perform daily chores outside of work. Janie Jones, UNITE Local 2645, Arkadelphia, Ark., Poultry Plant Worker Janie Jones has worked at the Petit Jean Poultry de-boning facility, in Arkadelphia, Ark., for 7 years. In 1994, she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. At the time of her injury she was de-boning thighs, since then she has been placed on numerous other jobs. She described some of these jobs she's had and how injured workers are treated at the company:
"Now, I load the line. This means picking up the birds from a metal bin to my right and placing them on a cone on a conveyor belt to my left. We are required to put 28-32 birds a minute on these cones. These birds are cold, sometimes frozen and they can weight as much as six pounds. That's about 67,500 pounds that I have to reach and stretch to lift about 2.5-5 feet every day. "When an injured worker goes to the nurse with pain and swelling, the nurse will usually treat the worker with a rub and arthritis cream and sends you back to your job. If you keep complaining, she'll also give you a heat pad and then she'll send you back to your job. Then, if you still keep complaining, she'll do the rub, the heat pad and send you to a light duty job. Sometimes, management then tells her they need this person on their old job, and she just agrees and they put the worker back on the job that injured them. "When workers are diagnosed with CTS by their own doctors, the company will move you to another job, which is not as fast-paced. But as soon as the pain gets better, they send you back to your old job, only to get worse again. This goes on until people can't take it anymore, and then they quit." John Nalepinski, Milwaukee, Machine Operator John Nalepinski is a 43-year-old machine operator at Briggs and Stratton, where he's worked for 24 years. He "machines" flywheels that weigh between 14 and 20 pounds. At the end of a day, he's lifted anywhere from 35 to 50 tons of castings. Five years ago his hands started going numb. He had problems sleeping and just doing work around the house such as cutting the grass and trimming the bushes because the vibration from these tools made his hands ache terribly. He started regularly dropping things like coffee cups, soda and even the flywheels at work. The pain started and it was so intense in the morning that his fingers were so tight they wouldn't move. He had a hard time just pulling on his pants or turning a door knob. He went to see a doctor and was diagnosed with bilateral carpal tunnel. He had surgery on both hands, but still ended up with permanent nerve damage in his left hand. He lost 30 percent of the strength in both hands because of his injury. John still has problems today, nearly two years later. He can't open jars and has a hard time getting his gas cap off. He gets frustrated at times because even though he was injured at work, the pain stays with him even after he punches out at night. He's lost sensitivity in his hands to the point where he can't tell if the clothes in the dryer are wet or dry. "I am not looking for pity here, but if I would have been educated about repetitive motion I could have had someone adjust my work station and this would not have happened. We have started hiring people at Briggs who are just out of high school. These people are the same age as my kids. We need to educate and have strong health and safety committees to keep all workers safe. These kids being hired are our children, our loved ones and maybe even our grandchildren. It is our duty to keep them and all workers safe." Nancy Foley, South Hadley, Mass., Journalist "I am here today to strongly support an ergonomics standard. I suffer from serious injuries cased by a repetitive job. I want to see the ergonomics standard enacted so that others will not be injured as I have been. "In 1988 I earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Most of my career was spent at the Union-News in Springfield, Mass. As a reporter, I spent four to five hours a day typing on a computer keyboard. In 1993, I began having pain in my neck and weakness in my hands. I did not seek medical attention until 1995 when the pain had spread into my left shoulder and left arm, making it difficult for me to sit through the workday. Fear prevented me from seeking medical attention sooner. I was a part-time reporter, and I was afraid I would never be made full-time if my employer knew the job was injuring me. Even after seeking medical attention, I was afraid to go out of work to recover from the injuries. I thought that taking time out of work would hurt my career. "In October of 1998, I went out of work altogether and was never able to return. I settled my workers' compensation case in 1999, with the insurance company taking responsibility for my injuries and continuing medical payments. "I have been diagnosed with repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical strain, thoracic outlet syndrome and medial epicondylitis. By the time I left the newspaper I was so severely injured, that my recovery has been very slow. I may never fully recover. I live with chronic pain every day. Sitting still triggers pain. I have trouble carrying groceries into my house and doing simple housekeeping tasks. I am trying to re-train to be a schoolteacher, but my injuries make the re-training difficult. I do my school work by lying in bed and talking into a voice-activated computer. That is the way I wrote this statement." Eugenia Barbosa, Randolph, Mass., Assembly Line Worker "Thank you for giving me this chance to come here today and share my story with all of you. My name is Eugenia Barbosa, an American citizen. I am an injured worker. "I came to America from Cape Verde with my family and started working at age 17 to help my mother and father. For the last 28 years of my life, I have worked in a factory that manufactures parts for major car companies. I worked in an assembly line making dashboard switches. "I produced 400 pieces or more per hour. To make the switches I used my thumb and forefinger to press and insert a rocker switch into the housing. To complete the dashboard switches, I assembled an additional piece using three springs, two pins and plastic caps, also using my thumb and forefinger. "In 1991 I started feeling severe and constant pain in my right wrist. I was sent to the company doctor. I was given a splint and Motrin, and placed on light duty for two weeks. After two weeks I was sent back to my original position with a wristband for my right wrist, which I wore every day. "Between 1991 and 1995, I was in constant pain. When I spoke to management, they told me that they would decide when I was in enough pain to go to the doctor. The pain was so severe that I had to hang my arm while working to relieve some of the pain. I suffered emotionally and physically as the pain continued to get more severe. "In October 1995 my life changed. The pain was no longer in my right wrist; it was also in my right shoulder, arm, back and neck. I told management about the pain, which was so severe I couldn't even move. I was ignored. "Finally I was sent to the company doctor again. He gave me another splint to be used 24 hours a day, an elbow support and pain medication, and told me to do light modified work with my left hand. He also told me to rest my arm on an arm rest chair while working. The company was supposed to provide me with the arm rest chair, but never did. "After 5 weeks I was called into my manager's office, and was told it was time to remove my splint and go back to the assembly line. I was in so much pain that I started to cry. "The company put me on incentive work but with only my left hand to make 975 pieces an hour. I asked my manager why. He told me he didn't want to hear any garbage, and that I should go back and do my job. "In March 1996 I started having pain in my left wrist, arm, shoulder, back and neck. It became so severe that I was rushed to the Emergency Room. The company doctor said there is nothing wrong with me. "I went to see another doctor who tested me and found that I had severe damage to my rotator cuff, radial nerve and wrist. Since that time, I have had surgery three times, on my right shoulder, arm and wrist. I still need surgery on my left shoulder and wrist. After my injury my life has completely changed for myself and for my family, and everyday I must deal with my pain. I am no longer able to work—I am now financially struggling to put my son through college. I'm unable to cook and clean for my family and even combing my hair and taking care of my own personal needs is now very difficult for me." Robert A. Wabol, Teamsters Local 738, Lockport, Ill., Certified Grocers Midwest (Grocery order selector) "In my workplace, there is no ergonomics program to address the injuries and persistent symptoms that warehouse workers suffer routinely. Back pain, wrist injuries, ankle sprains and knee and shoulder strains are common throughout the warehouse. Imagine lifting and carrying 170 cases with a total weight of 5000 pounds (about the weight of a full-size pickup truck) in 33 minutes, as I have done. The work typically results in assembling up to 5,500 pounds per work cycle, and a daily total of 18,000-40,000 pounds of weight handled. Production standards at my warehouse, and many like it, are not designed to fit the job to the physical and psychological capabilities of a worker, as ergonomics dictates, but rather expect workers to meet standards that are only based on cost and profit. I believe the requirements of this rule will go a long way in providing warehouse workers in America some relief from these unsafe and harsh work conditions." Steve Carney, CWA Local 1103, Portchester, N.Y., Verizon—formerly Bell Atlantic (Field technician) "I am going to celebrate my 50th birthday this year and yet on certain days I feel like I'm going to celebrate my 75th birthday, because of the aches and pains that I've learned to grin and bear. The work that I've performed over the years has taken a toll on me physically. I take over-the-counter remedies on a regular basis to lessen the pain that I experience. I am certain that the aches that I live with are a direct result of the work I have performed over my career as a technician. On many occasions, I had the ability to associate myself differently, to the work I was performing with either a piece of equipment or calling for assistance. However, I like so many of my fellow craftsman made the best of bad situations and in many cases contorted our bodies or demanded more from our bodies than they were designed to bear. I state this with good reason, when I talk to craftsmen within my work group, who have some years of service in this industry, we all have similar afflictions. I don't believe that this is just coincidence or getting old, most of us have aches and pains in the same areas: knees, back, shoulders, wrists, because we were never instructed on taking the time to associate ourselves differently to the work being performed or use a tool that was designed to do the job, and more importantly when you are experiencing symptomatic pain have it evaluated quickly and immediately." Ursula Stafford, AFT Local 2, New York, Paraprofessional Ursula Stafford is a classroom paraprofessional in the New York City public school system and a member of the United Federation of Teachers. In 1999 she worked as a one-on-one paraprofessional providing special services for a student with physical disabilities. On April 14, 1999, while working with the student, Ursula seriously and permanently injured her back and neck causing her to miss eight weeks of work and to delay completion of her undergraduate education. The incident occurred when she was working at Intermediate School 195 in Manhattan. She had been working as a classroom paraprofessional helping students learn reading and mathematics, when she was reassigned to work full-time with a paralyzed student who used a wheelchair and weighed about 250 pounds. (Ursula herself weighed 133 pounds.) The student was paralyzed from the waist down and had mobility in only one arm. She required assistance with many tasks, including toileting care. Ursula was expected to move the 250 pound student from her wheelchair to a special seat that she had to attach to the toilet so that she could change the student's diapers. During Ursula's first day working with the student, she discovered that the girls' bathroom was not wheelchair-accessible, so they had to use the boys' room. Even worse, she discovered that the wheelchair slid back when she attempted to begin the toileting. Another paraprofessional was assigned to assist by holding the wheelchair in place for Ursula, but no one was assigned to help her lift the student, position her on the toilet and change her diaper. The first time Ursula lifted the student she struggled terribly. She recalls crying in pain and was concerned that she might hurt the student. After all, she was paralyzed with some kind of steel rod in her back. For two days Ursula managed to get by but, predictably, on the third day she got hurt. As she was attempting to lift the student for toileting, Ursula's back gave out. She immediately fell to the floor, and the student fell on top of her. She was incapacitated on the bathroom floor in so much pains she recalls calling out for her mother. After 15 minutes, Emergency Medical Services transported her by stretcher to the hospital. Ursula was left with a herniated disc in her lumbar spine and a cervical strain. She went to an orthopedist, who ordered an MRI exam. Workers' compensation would not pay for an MRI, only for a CT scan. The CT scan confirmed the herniated disc and revealed a bulging disc in my thoracic spine. She continues to go to physical therapy twice a week and is under the care of a neurologist and orthopedist. "I am 24 years old and I am angry because of what this has done to my future. My employer, the New York City Board of Education, should have trained me on proper lifting procedures and provided mechanical lifting equipment that would have enabled me to do the job at no risk to myself. Because the student could not support her own weight, another trained person should have helped me. "Incidentally, I found out that prior to my assignment, other paraprofessionals assigned to lift the same child were also severely hurt. If the Board of Education knew what happened to me, why did it assign another paraprofessional without providing training on lifting or the proper equipment? All of this could have been prevented." |
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