Once the turkey dinner is through, many Americans will sit down to enjoy one of the nation's greatest pastimes—football. It takes a lot to make America's favorite game happen, and that includes the work of one OCSEA member who makes sure the men and women who construct the nation's game day footballs don't fumble (or get injured) on the job.
Earlier this year, Craig Martin, a Bureau of Workers' Compensation Ergonomist, was
called to a small Ohio factory
to look at a specialty work process—the start-to-finish making of those footballs.
Since 1955, the Wilson
football factory in Ada,
Ohio has been manufacturing college, NFL and high school
footballs. In fact, every football
in the Super Bowl is made by an
Ohio worker in this small, union factory
of 100 employees.
Because it's a union shop, factory employees have a history of hiring
on at Wilson and staying until
retirement. That also means
there are long-term employees
who may do the same or similar
(sometimes tedious) tasks for many years. This can put them at greater risk for
injury. That's where Craig comes in. Read his story and more...