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 recogn ized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in that, employees who operated freight elevator(s) and worked in the vicinity of freight elevator(s) were exposed to the hazard of falling into the elevator shaft and/or being crushed by the elevator: a- Production/Ironing A rea - The "Freight Elevator" (also used as a passenger elevator) ascending up to the second level of the facility from the ground level, was not in proper opera ting condition. 1- At the second level, the door to the elevator can be opened w ithout the elevator being on that level. Means were not provided to prevent empl oyee(s) from falling into the elevator shaft or being struck by the elevator. Ob served 8/25/00. b- Ground Level Production/Laundry Area - The "Freight Elevator" (also used as a passenger elevator) ascending to the third level of the facility from the groun d level, was not in proper operating condition. 1- At the ground level, the elev ator gate has a broken limit switch which allows the elevator to be operated whe n the gate is in the open position. 2- At the third level, the door to the eleva tor can be opened without the elevator being on that level, and the elevator can continue to operate with the door in the open position. Means were not provided to prevent employee(s) from falling into the elevator shaft, or being struck by the elevator. Observed 8/25/00. Gates and doors to elevators were not provided with limit switches to prevent the operation of elevators when the gates or door s were in the open position. Locks which are provided to be used (as an interim means of protection), to secu re the elevator doors when the elevator is not actually in use, were not always used and/or were not always locked when they were required to be. Among other me thods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to : 1- Provide interlocks (limit switches) on the gates and doors of each freight/ passenger elevator. a- The interlock device shall hold the door and gate in the locked position by means of gravity or by a restrained compression spring, or by both, and/or by means of a positive linkage. b- The interlock device shall lock the door in the closed position before the elevator can be operated. When the i nterlock is released, the elevators are to be rendered inoperable. Reference: 1- American National Standard Institute (UNCIA)/American Society of Mechanical E ngineers A17.3, 1986 - "Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators." 2- B OCA - Basic Building Code - Article 26.icle