These could include taping off the leads before coating or topping the leads with some chemical compound which would reduce adhesion of the coating material. The use of a specialty buffer or a hand held grinder with a wire brush attachment is also a possibility. If it is necessary to keep the current scraping and punch tools, they should be modified according to the following specifications. Straight handled tools should have a handle which is cylindrical or oval with a diameter of 1.25 to 1.75 inches. These tools should have a non-slip handle of rubber or plastic and can have flutes or ridges to increase torque application.
Employees use a manual screwdriver to repeatedly tighten several screws into an electrical lead.
This task requires some finger force and repeated rotations of the wrist and lower arm which is consistent with the development of medial epicondylitis. For tasks which require repeated fastening of screws a powered driver should be used. Employees remove screws using a powered driver but the pistol grip configuration requires deviation of the wrist. When the wrist is deviated while exerting finger pressure there is an increased risk for the development of tendinitis and possibly carpal tunnel syndrome. Taping and winding tasks are done by hand and the process generally requires the use of considerable finger force.