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

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 employees were exposed to: THE HAZARD OF FALLING INTO A PLATING TANK CONTAINING 35 PERCENT ACID SOLUTION. A) CHROME PLATERS WERE REQUIRED TO CLIMB ON TOP OF THE PLATING TANK ONCE OR TWICE EACH DAY TO PUT SMALL OR VERTICAL ROLLS INTO THE TANK AND REMOVE THEM. EMPLOYEES PERFORMING THIS OPERATION WORE A BELT WITH A 6-FOOT NYLON ROPE WHICH WAS HOOKED ONTO THE BLOCK OF THE OVERHEAD CRANE. THE LENGTH OF THE NYLON ROPE AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS ATTACHED TO THE BLOCK WOULD PERMIT THE EMPLOYEES BODY TO BECOME SUBMERGED IN THE CHROMIC ACID SOLUTION IF THEY WERE TO FALL OR IF THE CRANE WERE TO MALFUNCTION. CHROMIC ACID IS CORROSIVE AND CAUSES ULCERATIONS OF SKIN SURFACES. AMONG OTHER METHODS, TWO FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHODS TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD ARE: 1) REDESIGN THE PROCESS SO THAT IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR EMPLOYEES TO CLIMB ON TOP OF THE TANK. HOOKS OR POLES COULD BE USED TO PLACE ROLLS IN THE TANK AND REMOVE THEM FROM THE TANK. 2) THE EMPLOYEE COULD WEAR A HARNESS WITH A RETRACTABLE SAFETY LINE WHICH IS SECURED TO AN INDEPENDENT STRUCTURE ABOVE THE TANK.