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

Nevada Revised Statute 618.375(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees: The employer failed to ensure that the place of employment was free from recognized hazards, as follows: a.At the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on the northwest side of the building, an employee had been using anchor points that were not approved and designed for window cleaning. The employee life line had been tied off to the top 2 hand rails of the catwalk and the weight cart tieback had been secured to the metal kick plate of the walkway using an "S" hook and fabric sling. Neither anchorage point being used was certified for 5000 pounds of force or a safety factor of 4:1. This exposed the employee to a possible fall hazard of approximately 270 feet to the lower level. Reference: ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 - 2001, "Window Cleaning Safety", Section 3.9 and Section 9.1.1 (*): Building owners and window cleaning contractors shall not allow suspended work to be performed unless it has been determined that the building has provided, identified, certified anchorages complying with Sections 9 or 10 for: independent safety lines; tie-backs for outriggers, parapet clamps and cornice hooks; primary support anchorages for powered and manual boatswain's chairs; primary support anchorages for rope descent systems; horizontal (rope) lines or lifelines; and wherever else required. (*) Anchorages shall be capable of sustaining a 5000 pound minimum load or 4:1 safety factor, whichever is greater, in any direction that a load may be applied. One feasible method of abatement is to ensure that employees use the anchorage points that are approved and certified and to follow the accepted safe practices for window cleaning included in ANSI/ICWA I-14.1 - 2001.1