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 OR EMPLOYMENT WHICH WERE FREE FROM RECOGNIZED HAZARDS THAT WERE CAUSING OR LIKELY TO CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM TO EMPLOYEES IN THAT EMPLOYEES WERE EXPOSED TO CRUSHING HAZARDS: A) ON OR BEFORE APRIL 18, 1991, FREIGHT TRUCK OPERATORS WERE NOT INSTRUCTED IN THEIR DUTIES AND TRAINED ON THE HAZARDS, SUCH AS, BEING CRUSHED BY UNSTABLE LOADS, ASSOCIATED WITH THE TASK OF ASSISTING OR PERFORMING THE UNLOADING OF PARCEL OR EQUIPMENT WHICH INVOLVED THE OPERATION, OR DIRECTION OF OPERATION, OF MATERIAL-HANDLING EQUIPMENT AT THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA, & SANTA FE RAILWAY COMPANY YARD LOCATED IN TOPEKA, KANSAS. AMONG OTHER MEANS OF CONTROL, FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE METHODS TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD INCLUDE: 1) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT PROCEDURES WHICH DEFINE THE DUTIES OF THE DRIVER WHILE CARGO LOADING AND UNLOADING OPERATIONS ARE BEING PERFORMED. 2) TRAIN FREIGHT TRUCK DRIVERS ON THE PROCEDURES DEVELOPED UNDER ABATEMENT METHODS ADDRESSED IN #1 ABOVE, AND ASSURE THAT SUCH TRAINING WAS EFFECTIVE IN CONVEYING A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE APPLICABLE PROCEDURES. ASSURE FREIGHT TRUCK OPERATORS ARE REQUIRED TO PERFORM FREIGHT UNLOADING OPERATIONS REQUIRING THE USE OF MATERIAL-HANDLING EQUIPMENT, AND ASSURE THAT TRAINING ON THE SAFE USE AND OPERATION OF SUCH EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN PROVIDED. 3) ASSURE FREIGHT TRUCK DRIVERS ARE PROPERLY IMPLEMENTING AND FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURES WHICH HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED. 4) WHEN FREIGHT TRUCK DRIVERS ARE REQUIRED TO ASSIST WITH CARGO-HANDLING OPERATIONS, ASSURE THAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE ADEQUATELY TRAINED TO SAFELY PERFORM SUCH TASKS. THE TRAINING SHULD INCLUDE PROPER USE AND UNDERSTANDING OF STANDARD HAND SIGNALING, FROM A POSITION REMOTE TO THE HANDLING OPERATION, IF DUTIES REQUIRE THE PERFORMANCE OF SUCH TASK. NOTE THAT THE ABATEMENT METHOD SUGGESTED ABOVE IS GENERAL AND THE EMPLOYER, BASED UPON SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE TASK REQUIRED AND WORKING CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SELECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF ABATEMENT.