European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes thursday november 24,1983 Pentagon s a pain in the feet for Many by Mary Jordan the Washington Post Washington for the 52,000 fed that walk the hulls of the Pentagon each weekday the building s Concrete corridors arc a sort subject. No carpets no rubber Mats not even a Vinyl floor covering cushions its 17 a Miles of hallway. The department ofic Fonse Headquarters which has More too traffic than Many cities pits thousands of feel against arcs of concur Csc. The result a daily ground War. Now the tool soldiers Are fighting Back forsaking their pumps and Patent leathers for athletic footwear and walking shoes. Increasingly uniformed officers walk the Halls in Black rubber Soled Rock ports instead of Lac usual shiny Corfam. Stores near the Pentagon report a run on soft Shock absorbing Black shoes. Women reversing the practice of i hair wanting colleagues downtown and elsewhere Wear their fancy shoes into the Pentagon and once there change into slippers scuffs or Nibber sorted sport shoes. .-.-. Shoes Are a big Deal Here one frequent Walker who has joined the sports shoe faction said. Yes my feet Hurt. You asked the perfect question. 1 happen to be going to the foot doctor today. Concrete is bad for your feet. It s just the Laws of physics said f. Glenn Furr director of sates service for Georgia bonded fibres which produces insoles for Reebok of Torsheim and other shoe manufacturers. It got no Spring at All. It s terrible carpet on the other hand is metatarsal magic. The softer and Springer the floor surface the less pounding to the shoes feet and Ankles. While some Pentagon offices including the Power a ring that houses Pic lop brass have carpels All the hallways arc Asphalt tile and reinforced Concrete. The Pentagon built in 16 months during world War ii was constructed quickly and sturdily. In 1942, As die country scrambled to House under one roof the scattered offices of what was then the War department Here was Little thought Given to creature comforts. Pentagon floors can withstand a Load of 150 pounds a Square foot about three times the amount of an Ordi nary office building according to Waller l. Freeman. The defense department s director of real estate and facilities in the National capital Region the Basic Structure is Good for another 100 Yean Freeman said. Meat company agrees to pay $975,000 Fine Washington a Imp  wednesday to pay a reduced Fine of $975,000 to Settle government charges of safely violations in its Dakota City neb. Packing House that set off widespread investigations into the meatpacking Industry. The settlement reducing tines that originally totalled s5.7 million was signed wednesday morning at the occupational safety and health administration s offices in the labor department. The United food and commercial workers Union which represents 4,800 workers at Imp packing houses in Dakota City and Joslyn 111., called the settlement historic and  William h. Wynn the Union s presi Dent said the Accord should set an exam ple for other packing houses to follow. While others in the Industry still deny the existence of he epidemic of cumulative trauma injuries. Imp will be taking Steps to prevent them Wynn said Imp vice president Maurice Mcgill said the company the Osha and he Union through the settlement arc tackling one of meatpacking s toughest problems As Many industries not just meat packing have automated production processes the number of incidents of cumulative trauma have increased Mcgill said. But he added that very Little is understood Aboul the ailments. Sources had outlined the general terms of the Accord tuesday night. The Osha last May fined Imp s3.1 Mil lion for ignoring repetitive motion hazards leading to serious and sometimes disabling neuromuscular disorders on the Dakota City Plant s production lines among work Era who Cut and trim beef. A year earlier it had fined the meat Packer $2.6 million for what government officials said was the most flagrant Viola Tion of government record keeping requirements on Job injuries uncovered in the Agency s 17-year history. Both the 1987 and i98s tines against Imp arc settled in the new agreement the Osh meatpacking inspections per fiscal year serious violations we Lizul violations 1973 0 1977 0 1981 0 19b5 0 1974 0 1978 2 1982 1 1886 0 1975 0 1979 0 19b3 0 1967 11 1976 0 1980 4 1984 1 1988 7 the most serious kind of violation management knew working conditions Ware dangerous cart carry penalties up to $10,000 per violation. �50 200 150 100 so 0 197374 75 76 77 78 79 80 8t b2 83 84 85 86 67 88 " less severe violations management should have known of dangers but did to can carry penalties up to $1,000 per violation. Number of inspection sin 1976 77 78. 79 80 81 be 83 84 Chicago of Fuciu charts source occupational solely and main adm Lawtton 86 87 sources said. In addition they said Imp will undertake a massive three year program at All 15 of its meatpacking plants including ii non Union facilities and two where workers Are represented by the teamster a Union to reduce the incidence of cumulative trauma  most common disorder caused by the repeated hand wrist and Arm motions sometimes As Many As 1,000 of them in hour associated with cutting meat is car pal Tunnel syndrome an ailment which Ren Dora joints  studies commissioned by he Agency showed that 620 workers at 45 work stations at the Dakota City were at grave risk of developing cat pal Tunnel syndrome or Simi Lar  ailments and thai 377 of them had already incurred the injuries. As part of the agreement if will hire full time economist for two years to remodel the Dakota City Plant the sources said an Ciao Nunlist redesigns jobs to fit people. Other plants Are to be remodeler along ergonomic lines within three Yean in what government sources said could become a Model for the meatpacking Industry which is listed by the government As being the most hazardous in the  response to a series of congressional hearings thai began More than two year Sago Osha has devoted a major part of its enforcement efforts on  hazards and violations by meat pack ers in under reporting injuries in order to avoid government  month the Osha fined another Tea Packer John Morrell & co., $4.33million for ignoring what the Agency did were hazards at its Plant in Sioux Falb s.d., similar to those found at Imp i Dakota City Plant