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

Section 5(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free of recognized hazards that were causing, or likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees in that: a. On or about March 31, 1995, procedures had not been developed and documented to assure that employees entering waste dumpsters to adjust and/or rearrange the load would have adequate fall protection. Employees were thereby exposed to the hazards associated with falls from the height of approximately eight feet to a paved concrete surface. Feasible and useful abatement methods for reducing these hazards, include, but are not limited to: 1). Work rules prohibiting entry into the trash dumpsters under all conditions. 2). If entry into the dumpsters is necessary, work rules limiting entry only when load levels are low enough that the sizes of the dumpsters serve as barriers, prohibiting employees from falling from the dumpsters. It must be stressed that these work rules must also account for safe entry into and exit from the dumpster, which extends to a height of 43 inches over the dock floor, and a specific determination of load heights that allow safe entry and exit.