// Occupations and Workplaces

Fish Processing

What kind of work do people do in a secondary fish processing plant? In a secondary fish processing plant, workers are involved in such tasks as the buttering, breading, stuffing and packaging of fish that has already been de-boned and filleted in a primary processing plant.

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  • duty In a secondary fish processing plant, workers are involved in such tasks as the buttering, breading, stuffing and packaging of fish that has already been de-boned and filleted in a primary processing plant. All the operations are organized on a conveyor line.
  • duty The buttered sole line and the scallops line were selected as the most representative operations in a secondary fish processing plant.

In addition to some of the hazards listed above, pain or injury from physical overexertion, repetitive manual tasks, or working in awkward positions is very common. A case study is presented below. Please also see the OSH Answers on Conveyors – ergonomics for more information.

  • physical Possible noise exposure.
  • safety Slips, trips, and falls.
  • psychosocial Stress.
  • psychosocial Shift work or extended work days.
  • general Working in a standing position.

Tasks on the buttered sole line consist of spreading, buttering, breading, packaging, and wrapping filet of sole. Such tasks as buttering and breading are automated. Therefore, we will look only at the spreading, packaging and wrapping tasks.

What is Spreading?

  • context The spreading task consists of scattering the frozen sole on the conveyor (Figure 1). Workers stand to perform this task for the entire shift. The conveyor is 82-104 cm high and 50 cm wide. To spread the fish on the conveyor, workers have to reach forward with their arms above waist level. They use the same movements over and over.

What are the risk factors of Spreading?

  • general Prolonged standing in a stooped position, repetitious reaching forward and twisting of the body put workers at high risk for low back injury.
  • general Working with arms elevated above the waist level, and having no control over the pace of work pose a considerable risk for injuries of the neck, shoulder and arms.
  • ergonomic Standing on a hard floor and having limited flexibility of body posture can cause lower leg discomfort.

What is Packaging?

Packaging consists of filling boxes with one kilogram of buttered and breaded filet of sole (Figures 2 and 3). To complete the task, a worker has to: One work cycle lasts two seconds and can be classified as highly repetitive. Packaging is done while standing.

  • context pick up and unfold a carton to make a box
  • context place the box on a scale and line the box with plastic wrap
  • context pick up fish from the container and put it into the box
  • context place the box on the conveyor

What are the risk factors of Packaging?

  • ergonomic The packaging job poses the risk for repetitive motion injuries because of improper layout of the work station, the fast pace of work and the design of the task that does not allow workers to change activities throughout the work shift.
  • ergonomic Restricted flexibility of body positions, highly repetitive movements of both arms above the waist level and repetitious reaching sideways and forward put workers at high risk for injuries of the neck, shoulders and upper arms.
  • general Prolonged standing, restricted flexibility of body position and repetitious twisting pose a risk for low back pain and lower leg discomfort.

What is Wrapping?

The wrapping of boxes is carried out by two workers using two sealing machines. Each worker processes about 3,000 boxes every shift (Figure 4). To complete the task, a worker has to: The task lasts approximately five seconds and is carried out while standing.

  • context twist the body to the left to reach for the box on the conveyor
  • context twist the body to the right to insert box into cellophane bag
  • context press control button to activate sealer

What are the risk factors of Wrapping?

  • ergonomic The wrapping job poses a risk for repetitive motion injuries because of the poor layout of the work station, the fast pace of work dictated by the speed of the conveyor, and the design of the task, that does not allow workers to change activities throughout the whole shift.
  • ergonomic Workers are at risk for neck, shoulder and upper arm injuries because of restricted flexibility of body positions, highly repetitious movements of both arms above waist level and repetitive reaching sideways.
  • ergonomic Highly repetitive and forceful movements while handling one kilogram boxes with only one hand are potentially hazardous to the wrists.
  • general Prolonged standing and frequent twisting create hazards for low back and lower leg injuries.

The scallops line consists of a variety of tasks with different levels of automation. Stuffing and rolling, wrapping and packaging are the most representative tasks for the scallops line.

What is Stuffing?

Stuffing consists of placing certain types of ingredients on a fillet (Figure 5) and then rolling the fillet into a ball shape (Figure 6). To complete the task, a worker has to: The task lasts approximately four seconds. Workers stand to perform this task for the entire shift.

  • context pick up a fillet and place it on the scale
  • context pick up a handful of stuffing and place it on the fillet
  • context roll the fillet
  • context place the stuffed fillet on the conveyor

What are the risk factors of Stuffing?

  • ergonomic The stuffing job poses a risk for repetitive motion injuries because of the improper layout of the work station, limited control over the pace of work and a task design that does not allow workers to change activities throughout the work shift.
  • ergonomic Highly repetitive hand manipulation while stuffing puts workers at risk for injuries of the wrists.
  • ergonomic Highly repetitive movements of the upper limbs and sustained muscular tension in the neck and shoulder region create hazards for the neck, shoulders and arms.
  • general Prolonged standing and frequent twisting of the body create hazards for low back and lower leg injuries.

What is Wrapping?

Wrapping consists of putting the frozen fillet into a cellophane bag (Figure 7). The bag is opened by blowing air at it. To complete the task, a worker has to The task lasts approximately 1.5 seconds. Workers may perform this task for the entire shift.

  • context reach for a fillet from a revolving carousel
  • context put the fillet into the bag
  • context place the bag on a conveyor

What are the risk factors of Wrapping?

  • ergonomic The extremely unsuitable layout of the workstation and the highly repetitive and fast movements required while wrapping make this task very hazardous for repetitive motion injuries.
  • general The neck and shoulder and every muscle and joint of the upper limbs are at risk.
  • ergonomic The low back is also at risk due to awkward body positions, asymmetric loading and frequent twisting. Prolonged standing in a stooped position due to the lack of foot clearance adds a risk for injury to the lower legs.

What is Packaging?

The packaging task consists of putting the individually wrapped fillet into boxes (Figure 8). To complete the task, a worker has to: The task lasts approximately one second. Workers may perform this task for the entire shift.

  • context reach for the fillet using both hands
  • context pick up the fillet from a revolving carousel
  • context place the fillets into boxes

What are the risk factors of Packaging?

  • ergonomic Improper layout of the workstation, a fast pace of work and the task design create hazards for repetitive motion injuries.
  • ergonomic The neck and shoulders, due to the sustained muscular load, are at the highest risk. Due to repetitive manipulation, the wrists are also at considerable risk for injuries.
  • general Prolonged standing in a stooped position due to the lack of leg clearance makes packaging hazardous for low back and lower leg injuries.
  • ergonomic Poor workstation layouts, the conveyor-driven pace of work and the lack of variety of tasks through the work shift are the conditions that pose risks to develop repetitive motion injuries in a secondary fish processing plant. The Ergonomics section of OSH Answers has more information on RMI risk factors.
  • ergonomic One of the main risk factors is the repetitiveness of the work.
  • requirement To change the repetitive pattern of the work a worker needs to do different tasks. The assembly-line type of work in the secondary fish processing plant makes it difficult to build a variety of activities in the workers' duties. However, there are a few options to consider.
  • requirement Job rotation - Rotating jobs within one work shift can reduce the damaging effects of repetitive work. There are some benefits even where rotation occurs between similar tasks. The feeling of change reduces monotony and slows down the development of fatigue.
  • requirement Teamwork - The other possible approach is to use teamwork. Assigning the operation of the whole assembly line to a group of workers and giving them control of all aspects of the work improves attitude and work satisfaction which are important in preventing injuries.
  • requirement The recommendation for job rotation or team work applies to both the buttered sole and the scallops lines in the fish processing plant. If the re-designing of tasks is not possible, the implementation of 5 - 10 minute breaks every hour can lessen the impact of repetitive work.
  • requirement Awkward postures and movements due to unsuitable workstation designs are the second major area of concern.

The buttered sole operation consists of:

  • requirement spreading
  • requirement packaging
  • requirement wrapping

Spreading

  • requirement Workers involved in the spreading of fish are mainly exposed to repetitive movements and awkward body positions.
  • requirement To reduce awkward postures, provide shorter workers with platforms so that they can spread the fish with their arms below waist level. There should be enough foot clearance to allow workers to get as close as possible to the conveyor. Having a foot rest would allow workers to shift their body weight (Figure 9).
  • ppe A sit/stand stool would reduce the stress on the legs and back due to prolonged standing. Also, wearing gloves when handling frozen fish would reduce the chance of losing manual dexterity from the cold.

Packaging

  • requirement Workers involved in the packaging of the fish are exposed to repetitive movements and awkward body positions.
  • elimination To reduce awkward postures, it is necessary to rearrange the work materials (Figure 10). Tilting the container of fish would reduce bending the wrists and elevating the elbows. Placing the cartons in front of the worker would eliminate reaching sideways.
  • requirement Shorter workers should use platforms so that they can pick up the fish with their arms at waist level. The work bench should have foot rests so that workers can shift their body weight. Anti-fatigue matting and a sit/stand stool would help to reduce the stress on the legs and back from prolonged standing.

Wrapping

  • requirement Workers involved in the wrapping of boxes are exposed to repetitive and forceful movements and awkward body positions.
  • requirement To avoid using awkward postures, workers should pick up boxes with their arms at waist level. Shorter workers should use a platform. To reduce reaching sideways, it may be necessary to modify the flow of the conveyor (Figure 11).
  • requirement Workers should have enough foot clearance so that they can get close to the work bench. They should also have a foot rest to shift their body weight. Providing workers with anti-fatigue matting and a sit/stand stool would release stress on their legs and back due to prolonged standing.

The scallops operation consists of:

  • requirement stuffing
  • requirement wrapping
  • requirement packaging

Stuffing

  • requirement Workers involved in the stuffing of fillets are exposed to repetitive movements and awkward postures.
  • requirement To reduce awkward postures it is necessary to use platforms so that workers can use their arms at waist level. Reaching sideways can be reduced by rearranging the work materials.
  • requirement To avoid bending of the wrist, it is necessary to have the scale and the two containers at the same level as the work surface (Figure 12).
  • requirement Workers should have a foot rail to shift their body weight. Using a sit/stand stool and anti-fatigue matting would reduce the stress on the body due to prolonged standing.

Wrapping

  • requirement Workers involved in the wrapping of the fillets are exposed to repetitive movements and awkward body positions.
  • elimination To eliminate the repetitive nature of the task requires a major engineering change - the aim would be to fully automate the task. However, the repetitive pattern of work can be changed by rotating workers to other tasks. It would also be beneficial to put into effect a break for every hour of work. This break should be used to relax the muscles.
  • requirement To reduce awkward body positions such as reaching, workers should have enough leg clearance so that they can get close to the work surface. The wrapping/sealing surface should be at the same height as the carousel (Figure 13). Provide shorter workers with platforms so that they can reach the scallops with their arms at waist level. A sit/stand stool would reduce the stress on the legs and back due to standing for a long time.

Packaging

  • requirement Workers involved in the packaging of fillets are exposed to repetitive movements and awkward body positions.
  • requirement The repetitive pattern of work can be changed by rotating workers to other tasks. It would also be beneficial to put into effect a break every hour of work. This break should be used to relax the muscles.
  • requirement To reduce awkward body positions, workers should have enough leg clearance so that they can get close to the work surface (Figure 14). Workers should also have a foot rail to shift the weight of the body from one foot to the other. Platforms should be provided to shorter workers so that they can reach the scallops with their arms at, or below, waist level. A sit/stand stool would reduce the stress on the legs and back due to prolonged standing.

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Noise

Notes for this occupation. Open one to read the practices and the protection it calls for.

Noise Noise - Basic Information
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Shiftwork

Notes for this occupation. Open one to read the practices and the protection it calls for.

Shiftwork Extended Workday: Health and Safety Issues
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Shiftwork Rotational Shiftwork
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Stress

Notes for this occupation. Open one to read the practices and the protection it calls for.

Stress Workplace Stress – General
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Fish Processing
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