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

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was 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 conditions listed below: a) Avondale Shipyards, 5100 River Rd, Avondale, LA. On or about 11 August 1999, adequate training, retraining and recertification of crane operators for a specific type of crane (Clyde 54T rail mounted gantry crane) was not provided by the employer. This condition exposed employees working near cranes at the employers facility to the hazards and injuries related to being struck by or caught by suspended and/or falling loads. Instances: a)According to ASME B30.4-1996 "Portal, Tower and Pedestal Cranes" Chapter 4-3, Para 4-3.1.2 Qualifications for Operators: "(a) Operators shall be required by the employer to pass a practical operating examination. Examination shall be limited to the specific type of equipment which will be operated" The employer had only two cranes of this specific type within the shipyard and did not assure that the operators were adequately trained on this type of crane. b)According to ASME B30.4-1996 "Portal, Tower and Pedestal Cranes" Chapter 4-3, Para 4-3.1.3 Conduct of Operators: "(i)The operator shall be familiar with the equipment and its proper care. If adjustments or repairs are necessary, the operator shall report the condition promptly to the appointed person, and shall notify the next operator." "(j) All controls shall be tested by the operator at the start of a new shift. If any controls do not operate properly, they shall be adjusted or repaired before operations are begun." The crane controls had no indicator that would allow for the operator to know if the boom dog was engaged and the employer did not take the necessary steps to install a device that would provide this information to the operator. Among other methods, some feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct these hazards would be to: a)Enhance the employers training program to include additional testing of the crane operators to assure that the operators thoroughly understand and can effectively demonstrate their ability to operate the specific type crane. b)Install a device on or near the control panel that would let the operator know if the boom dog was engaged on this type of crane.d