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

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): 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 excessive heat while performing heavy physical activities. Such exposure without being acclimatized can lead to life threatening heat related illnesses such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion: The employer is failing to prevent employee exposure to heat-related illnesses. On or about July 1, 2019, employees manually shoveled the circumference of approximately 48, 10-inch diameter telephone poles. Two employees used hand shovels to expose the wooden poles approximately 18 inches below the level ground, such work required that each employee manually displace 2.7 cubic meter of soil or approximately 6,534 pounds of material. Employees worked for approximately 12.5 hours in direct sunlight where heat index values ranged from 74.7-87.8F. Employee exposure to heat from direct sunlight, metabolic heat load from the required work tasks, and lack of formal processes to allow employees to rest and recover, exposed employees to heat related illnesses including heat strain and heat stroke. An employee collapsed after working approximately 12.5 hours and was pronounced dead from hyperthermia with a final body temperature of 106.3F.