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

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that were causing, or likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees. On July 2, 2003, an employee was fatally injured while retrieving equipment from a doghouse that was not secured during the set up of Rig No. 6. The worker was pinned between the doghouse and a hinged floor plate when the unit collapsed (retracted) back into its stowed position within the water tank. Also, the eye splice created in the wire rope at the point where it was connected to the track bulldozer did not contain a thimble. The length of wire rope utilized for the turn back in creating the eye splice was insufficient and the number of wire rope clips utilized was inadequate for the size of wire rope utilized. Rust and signs of bird caging were also noted on the wire rope. Among other means, some feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct these hazards are: 1.Develop written procedures on the safe rig up of the doghouse and to include the roles and responsibilities of those individuals involved with its set-up. 2.Develop a method(s) that would effectively allow employees to remain in constant contact with one another during the rig up of the doghouse and/or other various operations, more importantly in areas and/or instances where visual and oral communication is difficult and/or obsolete to prevent confusion, especially when one's function has a great and/or greater impact on the other. 3.Appoint a safety monitor during the process of setting up the doghouse to ensure workers do not access the work area prior to the doghouse being adequately secured. 4.Change the configuration of the doghouse/water tank setup to eliminate the potential of the doghouse retracting back into its container. 5.Use proper rigging techniques for use of wire rope clips as outlined in 1926.251 Table H-20. Inspect wire rope & wire rope terminations on a daily basis. Replace as needed. 6.Install thimbles at point of eye splices to reduce the wear and tear of the wire rope.