3. Machine versus man power

Naval Air Weapons Station (NASW) China Lake is located in the California's Mojave Desert within the northwest section of San Bernardino County. NAWS China Lake is an airborne weapon testing and training range. Temperatures in China Lake rise over 100 degrees in the summer months.

NAWS China Lake is the Navy's largest single landholding, representing 34% of the Navy's total land worldwide. The 19,600 square miles of restricted airspace represents 12% of California's total airspace. NAWS China Lake provides an unprecedented venue for integrated testing and training for today's war fighters both on the ground and in the air. Because of the mission, like any research facility, NAWS China Lake generates hazardous waste (Figure 13).

#### 3.1. Pre-intervention

NAWS environmental specialists retrieve, categorize, store, and dispose of various hazardous waste materials gathered from across the vast base. Different operations use different storage containers. NAWS follow strict hazardous waste protocols to prevent unauthorized waste from being disposed of illegally or accidentally (Figure 14).

When gathering the various waste streams, environmental protection specialists are exposed to a number of physical hazards, most notably heavy and awkward lifting, pulling/pushing, frequent standing, and temperature extremes. The physically demanding nature of the profession combined with the temperature extremes, placed the employees at an increased risk of developing additional or more severe WMSDs (Figure 15).

> Environmental protection specialists repeatedly lifted, pulled, and pushed heavy items (e.g., batteries, oil rags, drums) as shown in the photos. The specialists lifted most items from ground level, and dragged or pushed them onto the lift gate. These items, such as solar and automotive batteries, drums, oil rags (over 2 million pounds a year), solvents, and cubic yard bulk bags (called super sacks), are handled multiple times throughout the disposal cycle.

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The great expanse of the China Lake property means that items may be retrieved from various staging sites. Once back at the hazardous material processing/staging site, the items are removed from the truck. Some items are weighed while others are quickly categorized/staged

Although the tasks of retrieving items from remote locations inherently requires the specialists to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, lift 50 pounds and frequently walk and stand; the use of a crane installed on the back of the steak truck greatly reduced worker's exposure to

for storage, and later moved again for disposal (Figure 16).

Figure 15. Before intervention, off-loading truck at sorting area.

Figure 14. Before intervention, pushing plastic hopper onto rack truck.

3.2. Post-intervention

Figure 13. Before intervention, pulling super sacks (1 cu. yd.) of oil soaked rags onto lift gate.

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Figure 14. Before intervention, pushing plastic hopper onto rack truck.

checked-in and sorted items to the washroom department with minimal effort. These features help reduce the muscles loading and fatigue by eliminating the most stressful tasks (Figure 12).

42 Anatomy, Posture, Prevalence, Pain, Treatment and Interventions of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Naval Air Weapons Station (NASW) China Lake is located in the California's Mojave Desert within the northwest section of San Bernardino County. NAWS China Lake is an airborne weapon testing and training range. Temperatures in China Lake rise over 100 degrees in the

NAWS China Lake is the Navy's largest single landholding, representing 34% of the Navy's total land worldwide. The 19,600 square miles of restricted airspace represents 12% of California's total airspace. NAWS China Lake provides an unprecedented venue for integrated testing and training for today's war fighters both on the ground and in the air. Because of the mission, like any research facility, NAWS China Lake generates hazardous waste (Figure 13).

NAWS environmental specialists retrieve, categorize, store, and dispose of various hazardous waste materials gathered from across the vast base. Different operations use different storage containers. NAWS follow strict hazardous waste protocols to prevent unauthorized waste

When gathering the various waste streams, environmental protection specialists are exposed to a number of physical hazards, most notably heavy and awkward lifting, pulling/pushing, frequent standing, and temperature extremes. The physically demanding nature of the profession combined with the temperature extremes, placed the employees at an increased risk of

from being disposed of illegally or accidentally (Figure 14).

developing additional or more severe WMSDs (Figure 15).

Figure 13. Before intervention, pulling super sacks (1 cu. yd.) of oil soaked rags onto lift gate.

3. Machine versus man power

summer months.

3.1. Pre-intervention

Figure 15. Before intervention, off-loading truck at sorting area.

Environmental protection specialists repeatedly lifted, pulled, and pushed heavy items (e.g., batteries, oil rags, drums) as shown in the photos. The specialists lifted most items from ground level, and dragged or pushed them onto the lift gate. These items, such as solar and automotive batteries, drums, oil rags (over 2 million pounds a year), solvents, and cubic yard bulk bags (called super sacks), are handled multiple times throughout the disposal cycle.

The great expanse of the China Lake property means that items may be retrieved from various staging sites. Once back at the hazardous material processing/staging site, the items are removed from the truck. Some items are weighed while others are quickly categorized/staged for storage, and later moved again for disposal (Figure 16).

#### 3.2. Post-intervention

Although the tasks of retrieving items from remote locations inherently requires the specialists to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, lift 50 pounds and frequently walk and stand; the use of a crane installed on the back of the steak truck greatly reduced worker's exposure to

through mishap prevention activities. The Navy Ergonomics program seeks initiatives to

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[1] Stack T, Ostrom LT. Occupational Ergonomics: A Practical Approach. Hoboken: John

[2] U.S. Bureau of Labor and Stastics UD. Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities. 2017, August 28. United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Retrieved from: https://

reduce exposure to injury risks and provides strategic direction to develop policies.

Safety Health and Industrial Hygiene Department, Montana Tech., Montana, USA

www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htm#15Summary\_News\_Release

Author details

Address all correspondence to: tstack@mtech.edu

Theresa Stack

References

Wiley & Sons; 2016

Figure 16. Totes of organized hazardous waste.

Figure 17. After intervention, truck mounted knuckle boom crane is sued in operations where other material handling equipment has not been capable of performing the waste removal.

physical work place risk factors. A crane now attached to the truck has eliminated much of the excessive materials handling and is capable of retrieving drums, super sacks or bulk bags (used for rags), and other heavy items from any storage surface (pavement or sand). The successful completion of this project has saved a considerable amount of time and effort during the movement of hazardous waste. The completed project replaces manual effort with machine power and improves the overall safety and health of the environmental specialists (Figure 17).

#### Acknowledgements

The following interventions were funded by the Navy's Mishap Prevention and Hazard Abatement Program. The Navy Ergonomics sector of this program is focused on engaging at the operational level to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses for Navy personnel

through mishap prevention activities. The Navy Ergonomics program seeks initiatives to reduce exposure to injury risks and provides strategic direction to develop policies.
