European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes monday tuesday. January 1/2.1990workers paying for Cost cutting creating fat free business less Safe work Sites by Sharon Cohen associated press writer in 18 i cars in a meatpacking Plant. Dave Kellert Maecs have helped build his House put food on inc table and raise two daughters. But he save. He has paid a terrible Price the use Ornis hands. Kellens hands arc Loo weak to chop Wood much less twist open a bottle. He blames it on years of such jobs As tearing gobs of fat from hogs repealing the same Tew Steps struggling to keep Pace with hundreds of carcasses an hour his employer John Morrell amp. Co., save Plant safely is improving and is contesting a 54.3 million government Fine for allegedly allowing dangerous work condition. Meanwhile Killen 41. Who has endured surgery twice on each hand now sweeps floors at the Sioux Falls.  Plant. And he a worried. A a in a sitting Here with my hands 37 percent crippled. They re a Nat a Girt to make my Liv ing for the next 20 scars 1 he wid. Quot is Morrell going to be there arc my hands going to gel worse 1 done to know who a be willing 10 hire me. That a what got me scared. Its like going Blind  modernization May be to blame such problems go beyond one Man. One company or one occupation. Many Union safety and academic expert say kill in i an example of an insidious trend in american Industry companies arc producing More culling payrolls modernizing computerizing a and creating a More hazardous workplace. A people Are getting hurl More than they Ever  argues Joseph Kinney director of the National Safe workplace Institute. A a they re under More pressure to produce than they Ever were. A lot of companies that once were using seven workers to do a Job arc now asking five to Doit. A the new fat free american business syndrome is asking those who arc left to do too Damn much similar concerns have surfaced from congressional hearings to Union organizing drives m Auto meatpacking construction steel and other industries. Experts say automation Competition and the changing business landscape play a role. A we live in a time of corporate downsizing. Merger and acquisitions and leveraged buyouts that end or greatly diminish Many of the modest safety and health programs that exist.1 said a september report by the workplace Institute. A the Raider and Downsi Zers arc unwitting participants in our Industrial  while most worker no longer confront sweatshop Honor and archaic equipment some experts say a new trend in which technology allows experienced employees to be replaced by those with less training Lui contributed to increasing danger. Others disagree noting Large investments that companies including the big three automakers Are making to improve Plani designs. They also Eite giant government penalties against Lead paper meatpacking construction and other firms that Are serving As a deterrent "1 think workplaces Are generally  said Berrien Zettler. Deputy director of compliance programs a the occupational safety and health administration on the Job Accident on the Rise Kinney s group say Osha has improved but he cites government numbers the average number of workdays lost due to on the Job accidents for each i do worker Rose from 58.5 Days m 1983 to 69.9 Day in 1987, and the National safely Council say permanent work related disabilities Rose workers like these meat packers at John Morrell amp co. In either vice Iowa May be More at risk for on the Job injuries than Ever before according to some reports. From 60,000 in 1986 to 70,000 in 1987, safety experts speculate conditions May be even Grimmer because companies under report injuries to ovoid Osha inspections in fact the government has cited Union Carbide corp., us corp. And other for alleged record keeping violations. Ironically some Trace rising injuries to economic Prosperity especially in steel one steelworkers local says its injury rate nearly doubled when overtime peaked. A 1988 University of Texas study found nearly 93 percent of injury increase in durable Good industries could be explained by overtime and employee turnover. 1 Hose Arentt the Only culprit. A Auto Nilion is increasing and the worker who Peri United a variety of Ilu Job Are being replaced by  said Boh Hall research Dia actor at the Institute for Southern studies in North Carolina. A the Job that Are left Are not As  increasingly treat people a robots. Tand Ireal Arm and hands like Thev re part of a machine but you can to Oil a persons Arm or  workers who Cut. Chop or pull thousands of time daily have developed painful and sometimes disabling hand Arm and wrist ailment known As repetitive trauma disorders. Repetitive trauma disorder Case a including hearing toss a soared from 26,700 to 72.940 from i9h3 to 1987. The government say though some attribute part of that to heightened awareness. Much publicity has focused on meatpacking where the United food and commercial worker Union say production jumped neatly 20 percent in the Iasi five years while production employees dropped by almost 10,Odd. A when Tine speeds arc increased and the work Force is decreased in the name of efficiency injuries go up Quot said Debbie Burkowitz. The Union health and safely director. Meat and poultry workers some of whom have testified before Congress have complained about treacherously fast production lines where meat Flics Oft damaged conveyor belts and blood splatters in i hair faces. They have described rests infections and crippling hand and Nae pains that make it hard to lift their children comb their hair or hold a Glass. A in quirk Fyk programs her Union local chums Assembly line speeds Haw increased m Many areas for example in the beef kill department a where the animal is knocked nut. Its  Slit ilk hide pulled Oil and the Hedv spin in half a the hourly Rale jumped from 1115 m hour in 1979 to 193 m 1986. But companies dispute the charges. Poultry producer Perdue farms inc. Recently estimated repetitive trauma disorders at its plants at less than i percent. And though Osha contend Morrell knew conditions were causing injuries hut did nothing company spokesman Kabul Baxter said safety improvement efforts w Ere being made and the Agency reviewed records during an atypical Lime a a period that included a strike. In m month. Record showed 880 of 2 000 workers sustained repetitive Strain injuries. Baxter said there arc no Quick fix programs for such injuries. Morrell says injuries at Sioux Falls fell per Igo workers from 70.5 in january 1988 to 3 3.48 in july 1989. Baxter attributed the High injury rate to the hiring of replacements and other strike effects for the decline he credited outside consultants workers and supervisors. But Jim Lvon Union local president said he has seen any safety Progress and said company numbers arc a totally  he also contends a program providing prizes for injury free records encourages people not to report them. Osha fires often reduced Osha also fined the nations largest meat Packer Imp inc., but a 55,7 million penalty was reduced to $975,000 after the company agreed to conduct a three year Sally program to reduce motion injuries. A recent workplace Institute study of several Large penalties found Osha had bargained fines Down from $29.3 million to �9.5 million. And in cases where Osha fines Are smaller a in the thousands of dollars a the age Nev a is not effective in providing the stimulus employers need to properly Deal with safety and health.1 said John Moran a former official of the National Institute for occupational safety and health. A the Bottom line in business is the Dollar  Oshay a  his Agency usually does t reduce penalties by More than half. In Imp s Case he said a we believe the significant reduction was justified by what we wet getting Back 1 act Tler also conceded Osha does t have staff to inspect All hazardous places annually and it May Cost More to comply than  a penalty a if it takes us 15 years to gel there the Guy has saved that investment for 15 years he said. A simplistic to blame productivity but he says his Agency has increased safety awareness and most major companies have health experts. Many also have hired safely design experts one is the University of Michigan Scenter for ergonomics. 1 director Don Chaffin believes in s simplistic to blame productivity alone for increased injuries and says corporations arc paying More attention to these concerns. But one Union local disagrees. At the Allegheny Ludlum corp. Plant in Brack Enridge pa., maintenance division injuries jumped from 27 percent to 45-47 percent during four heavy overtime months in 1988, said Carol Mochak us local in 96ls safety chairman. A people tend to Overlook a lot of safety procedures Quot he said. A they re lax in wearing safety equipment. All they want to do is gel the Job done As quickly of  spokesman for the specially steelmaker said the company tries hard to limit overtime and has no serious safely problems. Productivity also a been an Issue in construction Quot said Moran the former nosh official who now work at a firm that i Rains hazardous waste cleanup workers. A a it a been getting worse for the last several years a the economic pressures the greater and greater emphasis on culling costs a he said. He said in 96 percent of Trench Cave in deaths he studied at nosh there was no shoring or sloping. # shortcuts in inc name of efficiency Are Ultima id uneconomical said Berkowit of the United food and commercial workers. Quot any gains made by pushing people will be eaten up by High turnover and worker compensation a As fur Kellen he has agreed to a workers compensation settlement of More than $16,600. Bui he asks a a what a the Price on your hands you be got to provide for your family. There Wai a time when everybody thought of retiring there after 30 years. I Don t look for any future there at All. Its a sad