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

Section 5(a)(1) of Public Law 91-596, 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: hazard of cottonseed pile cave-in or slough-off resulting in engulfment and suffocation to employees. (a)During the period July 27, 1998 through August 5, 1998 employees use a chain attached to the bucket of a front end loader to move metal air ducts in the Mitchell House. Employees stood on the floor of the Mitchell House and wrapped the chain around the metal duct, thereby exposing the employees to the hazard of a cave-in from moving cottonseed pile. The employees were not protected from the cave-in hazard by shoring or sloping or shielding the moving cottonseed pile. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to require the seed feeder to remain in the cab of the front end loader and use the bucket of the front end loader to move metal ducts.