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 employmnent 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 the hazard of falling up to 20 feet to the ground below while being raised and lowered in the bucket of the backhoe; and while using the backhoe bucket as an elevated work platform in the event of hydraulic system failure, control failure or other unexpected lowering of the bucket: a)On or about 05/07/99 - Jobsite, 43rd Avenue & 213th Street An employee curled into a fetal position inside the bucket of the Komatsu PC200LC-5 excavator. The backhoe operator raised him 20 feet above the ground to replace a television cable wire that was pulled down from the home next to the jobsite. Once the employee was at the desired work level he climbed out of and stood on top of the bucket and replaced the cable wire. AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE METHOD TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD WOULD BE TO: Develop and implement a company safety and health program, to include enforcement of company rules and policies. Among other items this program should address general and job specific safety and health rules. Subcontractors hired to work on site should be made aware of these rules and site inspections should be conducted, by a competent person, to ensure safety and health rules are adhered to. Employees should also be trained in the recognition of hazardous conditions. ABATEMENT VERIFICATION IS NOT REQUIRED.