Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: CRUSHING

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physcial harm to employees in that employees were exposed to falls of from 2 to 18 feet onto concrete floors and onto steel machinery with sharp edges, protruding corners and sharp points and to the hazards of being struck by or crushed under falling ladder stands, rolling scaffolds, work platform, tools, equipment, heavy parts and assemblies while moving, mounting, walking, and working on unstable, deteriorated, and mechanically defective ladder stands, work platforms, and rolling scaffolds which had upright members out of plumb, frames and cross braces bent and twisted, steps bent, inoperative or missing wheels and castors and wheel brakes either missing entirely or inoperative: a) Building W- a 3-step rolling ladder stand had a bent frame makingit unstable to use; b) Building W- a 3-step rolling ladder stand had one spring loaded wheel missing entirely making it unstabe to use; c) Building W- a 7-step rolling ladder stand was missing 2 wheels on one side making it unstable to use; d) Building W- a 11 step rolling ladder stand had 2 wheels missing on one side and bent and twisted frame members making it unstable to use; e) Building W-a 11-step rolling ladder stand had its 5th step from the floor bent downward at least 3/4 of an inch; f) Building G-32-V, Department 2692, "Boom Welds," a 2-step rolling ladder stand used by the wheelabrator operator had a bent main frame so that all 4 legs did not meet the floor at the same time under use making the stand unstable; g) Building G6-13-L, Department 2615, "Compactor Wheel Welding", a 3-step rolling ladder stand with main frame, steps, and uprights all bent and twisted making it unstable and subject to collapse without warning; h) Building G-30-D, Department 2629, "Bumpers", a 7-step ladder stand with frame and left front castor bent inward making the stand unstable; i) Building G-30-d, Department 2629, "Bumpers", a 5-step ladder stand with its left front leg bent inward making the stand unstable; j) Building G-44-e, Department 2643, "Excavator Buckets", a 4-step rolling ladder stand had bent wheels, wheel axles, main frame members making the stand unstable in use; k) Building G-44-E, Department 2643, "Excavator Buckets", an 11-step rolling ladder stand used by bucket welders had main frame members bent making the stand unstable in use; i) Building G-2-E, Department 2602, 2-step ladder stand used by welders had main frame members bent and one of the four wheels missing, making the stand unstable in use; m) Building G-1-H, Department 2602, 8-step ladder stand used by welders, the back legs did not reach the floor when locking the ladder stand in place, making the stand unstable in use; n) Building H-12-Q, Department 2775, 5-stap ladder stand had main frame members bent, making the stand unstable in use; o) Building G-37-A, Department 5556, 3-step ladder stand had main frame members bent, making the stand unstable in use; p) Building H, Department 2754, computer bays, 3-step ladder stand used by employees, had main frame members bent and one of the four wheels missing, making the stand unstable in use; A feasible and useful method to correct these hazards, among other methods, is the creation, installation, and implementation of an inspection and maintenance program to include at least these essentials as outlined in American National Standards Institute Standard A92.1-1977 Standard for "Manually Propelled Mobile Ladder Stands and Scaffolds (Towers)". 1) Inspection and engineering evaluation of all such equipment to assure that all existing mobile ladder stands, work platforms, and scaffolds (towers) will safely sustain at least 4 times the actual and anticipated working loads. 2) Inspection, engineering evaluation, and necessary mechanical repairs or alterations to assure that all wheels and castors will function as designed; will actually support 4 times the actual and anticipated working loads; that all castors are equipped with positive wheels or working locks or both and that ladder stands have at least 2 locking castors or other means of locking the unit in position, level and plumb at all times when the ladder stand is in use. 3) Inspection, engineering evaluation and necessary mechanical alterations or repairs to assure that all frames, uprights, ledgers, bearers, braces, platforms, runners, steps, hand or guard rails, and all ladder rungs are straight, plumb, physically and mechanically, sound; that all parts of the ladder stands, work platforms and scaffolds are physically capable of sustaining at least 4 times the actual and anticipated loads. 4) Inspection, engineering evaluation, and necessary mechanical repairs or alterations to assure that all ladder stands, work platforms, and scaffolds ridden by employees while being moved manually or by mechanical means, be constructed so that the minimum dimension of the base of the stand, platform, or scaffold, be at leastone-half of the height of the highest of the highest walking and working surface on the platform. Outriggers may be used as part of the base dimension. 5) Assure that all units are inspected on a frequent and regular basis; that they be immediately withdrawn from service and repaired and are not used until all repairs are completed. Further, that in the event of any future occurrence of damage or deterioration of these stands, platforms, or scaffolds, that they not be used until such damage or deterioration has been repaired and the stand, platform or scaffold be returned to a safe and stable condition.