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

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occpational 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 employees were exposed to: a. Employees working in the maintenance shop, were exposed to a crushing pinch point area while performing service and maintenance work on the hydraulic cylinders located between the raised portions of the bucket arms and the push bar on a 950 caterpillar. The hazardous conditon was created when an employee performing the service and maintenance work, entered a pinch point area which was created when the bucket was extended completely forward, with the blade vertical to the floor and no cribbing installed under the elevated portion of the equipment that was supported by hydraulic pressure; neither were the wheels blocked to prevent the equipment from moving. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to: Develop, implement and enforce a program that would ensure that cribbing and blocking procedures and used by maintenance employees during servicing, and maintenance operations of all hydraulic powered equipment, which would disable the force or relaxation of the such equipment, on or about February 16, 1993.