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

ORS654.010: The employer did not furnish a place of employment which was safe and healthful for employees, and did not do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and health of the employees: a) The employer did not conduct a hazard evaluation of the task to be performed (displacing the air bubbles of the rubber liner at the Echiler Pond). The employer did not ensure proper personal protective equipment was provided to employees to ensure safe completion of the task, nor was any form of emergency action plan used or in place, as evidenced by: 1) this task had been performed several times using the same procedures prior to the accident; 2) while performing this task the boat previously sank; 3) the employer did not determine if the boat was appropriate for the task or what the weight capacity was to prevent overloading; 4) the employer did not determine which employees would be most qualified to perform this task; 5) the employer did not provide or ensured the use of personal protective equipment based on knowledge, skills, and abilities of those performing the task; 6) the employer did not ask the employees assigned to perform this task if they knew how to swim; 7) the employer had not prepared a rescue plan in the event the boat sank and there were no sufficient means to rescue employees from the water; 8) employees were not provided sufficient instruction by the lead worker or the immediate supervisor on how to perform the task safely and the supervisor was present when the boat sank during the prior incident; 9) the employer did not conduct an accident or a near-miss investigation, nor were any changes implemented as a result of the first sinking, other than the lead worker being told not to fill the sandbags so full. THIS VIOLATION WAS COMPLIED WITH AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION.