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: a) In the old shop, an employee was exposed to a fall potential of approximately 13 1/2 feet, to the concrete floor, when he was leaning over near the edge of the container in order to drill holes in the top rail of the container. b) In the old shop, an employee was exposed to a fall potential of approximately 12 1/2 feet, to the concrete floor, when he was riveting patches with a zip gun on top of an approximate 8 1/2 foot high container that was on top of an approximate 50 inch chassis. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard (instances a & b) is to tie off when working on top of the containers. c) In the old shop, an employee was exposed to an approximate fall potential of 7 feet, to a concrete floor, when he was using a scissor jack that did not have one end of the platform guarded. d) At the reefer line, an employee was exposed to an approximate fall potential of 7 feet, to a concrete floor, when he was using a scissor jack that did not have a midrail on one end of the platform. Top rails and midrails were provided on the other three sides of the platform. The scissor jack was used to gain access to the refrigeration units on the container and any other portions of the container that the employees needed to get to but could not reach. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard (instances a & b) is to attach a spring loaded hinged gate (with a top rail and midrail) that pushes inward as the employee enters the platform and closes automatically once the employee has entered the platform.