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 physical harm to employees in that opeators and employees working in close proximity to the stacker cranes, were exposed to the hazard of being crushed by the stacker crane, and its components due to possible failures caused by inadequate maintenance and inspections. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is frequent inspections of the crane and crane rails. While ultimate responsibility for correcting the hazards rests with the employer, given his superior knowledge of the operation, one feasible and acceptable method to be taken by the employer to correct these hazards would be to comply with either the manufacturer's recommendations or the American National Standard for stacker cranes ANSI B30.18-1987, which requires the employer to do the following: 1. Prior to initial use, all new, extensively repaired and altered equipment shall be tested by or under the direction of an appointed person and a written report furnished by such person, confirming the load rating system. These test reports shall be placed on file where they are readily available to appointed personnel. 2. Mark the rated load capacity of the stacker crane and it's load center location, which would be obtained from the manufacturer. 3. Conduct periodic inspections from one to twelve month intervals for the following conditions: a. Loose bolts and rivets. b. Deformed, cracked, or corroded structural members. c. Cracked or worn shelves. d. Worn, cracked, or distorted parts such as pins, bearings, wheels, shafts, gears, rollers, clamping devices, bumpers, switch baffles, interlock bolts and trolley stops. e. Wear on brake system parts, linings, pawls and ratches. f. Wear of chain sprockets and stretch of chain. g. Electrical apparatus for signs or pitting or deterioration of stations. h. Wear on lower load carrying flange of all track sections. 4. Conduct frequent inspections from a daily to one month interval for the follow conditions a. All functional operating mechanisms for maladjustment interfering with proper operations. Daily. b. All functional operating mechanisms for excessive wear of components. Daily. c. All safety devices for malfunctioning. Daily. d. All hoists and travel limit switches should be checked without a load on the device at the beginning of each work shift. Each motion. e. Deterioration or leakage in lines, tanks, valves, drain pumps or other parts of air or hydraulic systems. Daily. f. Operation of devices to minimize free fall. g. Operation of interlock on cab door. 5. Any hazardous conditions disclosed by the inspection shall be corrected before normal operation of the stacker crane is resumed.