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

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 required to service Yale forktruck tires were exposed to the hazard of the rim assembly separating from the tire in an uncontrolled, explosive manner. The assembly consisted of a two- piece rim. 1300 East 12th Street, Lamar, Missouri: Yale forktruck tire/rim assemblies were serviced by employees without having the proper safety devices and procedures/practices in place: (a)The employer did not provide training to employees required to service the wheels on the hazards associated with those wheels. (b)The employer had not established a safe operating procedure for servicing the wheels. (c)The employer did not provide a chart or manual containing instructions for the type of wheels being serviced. (d)The employer did not provide a restraining device for use when inflating the tires. (e)The employer did not provide a clip-on chuck for the air line assembly for use when inflating the tires. While ultimate responsibility for correcting the hazard rests with the employer, given his/her superior knowledge of the workplace, feasible and acceptable methods to correct this hazard, among others, include: Provide training to employees required to service the wheels in the hazards posed by those wheels and in the proper procedure necessary to eliminate those hazards. These procedures are outlined in the Yale Operator's Manual and Service Maintenance Manual. Establish a safe operating procedure for employees to follow when servicing the wheels. Instructions for servicing are outlined in the Yale Operator's Manual, Service Maintenance Manual, and Yale Service News SE-978. Provide to employees required to service wheels the Yale Operator's Manual, Service Maintenance Manual, and Yale Service News SE-978, and make these publications available in the service area. Provide an inflation safety device, such as a safety cage or rack, to contain the tire/rim assembly should separation occur during tire inflation. Provide an air line assembly with a clip-on chuck to allow employees to stand clear of the trajectory area during tire inflation. On or about 6/8/98, an employee sustained fatal injuries when the rim separated from the tire of a Yale forktruck and struck him in the head and chest. Abatement certification is required for this violation (using the CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTIVE ACTION WORKSHEET), and in addition, documentation demonstrating that abatement is complete must be included with your certification. This documentation may include, but is not limited to, evidence of the purchase or repair of the equipment, photographic or video evidence of abatement, or other written records.