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

Title 40.1-51.1(a) Code of Virginia: At 23520 Overland Rd., Sterling, VA, where employees were performing construction work. The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to crushing hazards while assembling a Safety-Box trench box (7'11" high by 24' long with 6" thick steel walls) using a Caterpillar Excavator Model 345C. On February 25, 2006, three employees were assembling a trench box to be used at a later date when a side wall of the trench box, that was balanced on the bucket of the excavator, slipped off and fatally crushed one of the two employees that were in the process of connecting the side wall to the spreaders. Although the trench box side wall had lift points installed on each of its four corners and the excavator bucket was equipped with a lifting bar, none of the installed safe lifting features (i.e. lifting points, lifting bar) were used for the lift. Instead, evidence gathered during the investigation revealed that the method used for lifting and balancing the trench box wall during the accident was standard practice for assembling trench boxes. One feasible and acceptable abatement method, among others, to correct this hazard is for the employer to comply with the following manufacturer's operation and use instructions from Safety -Box and Caterpillar: Safety-Box:"Recommended Safety Box Assembly Procedure. Place one wall flat on the ground. Attach four spreader pipes and secure with spreader pins and safety lock pins. Lift the other wall by the lift lugs at each corner and place over the spreader pipes and secure with spreader pins and safety lock pins. Using the lift lugs, upright the assembled box and set in trench." Caterpillar:Operation and Maintenance Manual. 345C Excavator, page 113. "Use the lifting bar that is provided on the linkage to lift objects."