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

Title 40.1-51.1.(A), Code of Virginia: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that: The operator of a tractor-trailer rig had backed up to the loading dock window at the back of the store at 109 New Market Drive, Hampton Va., and upon being signaled to stop had done so. However, the operator then resumed backing up even though the signal person was not visible and the operator had not been instructed to resume backing. The 1987 White Tractor-Trailer rig did not have an audible reverse alarm to warn the signal person or other adjacent personnel that the vehicle was being operated in the reverse gear. One feasible and acceptable method, among others, to correct this hazard is to adhere to 29 CFR Part 1926, Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry, Section 1926.602(a)(9)(ii), which states that no employer shall permit equipment which has an obstructed view to the rear to be used in the reverse gear unless the equipment has an operational reverse alarm which is distinguishable from the surrounding noise level or until an employee signals that it is safe to do so.