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 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 the hazard of struck by: a) Northwest Pipe Company, 6030 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO: Located on conveyor control box station A&B, function buttons were not clearly labeled to indicate their purpose. Condition exposed employees to "struck by" hazards due to accidental movement of pipe and/or conveyor. b) Located at control box station B&C, function buttons were not clearly labeled to indicate the purpose. Condition exposed employees to "struck by" hazards due to accidental movement of pipe and/or conveyor. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct hazards listed hazards listed in paragraphs a) and b) above is to follow the American Society of Mechanical Engineers publication, ASME B20.1-2000 ensuring that control stations are clearly marked or labeled to indicate the function controlled as found in paragraph 5.11.2 titled Control Station. c) Located in the Spiral mill building, the disconnected function buttons were not removed from control conveyor panel "B&C" thus exposing operators/employees to confusion and delay in responding to an emergency situation. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct the hazard listed in paragraph c) above is to follow the American Society of Mechanical Engineers publication, ASME B20.1-2000 ensuring that inactive and unused actuators, controllers, and wiring be removed from control stations and panel boards, together with obsolete diagrams, indicators, control labels, and other material that might confuse the operator. d) The employer had not ensured that prior to the startup of conveyors "A", "B", and "C" in the spiral mill building, an appropriate warning system was in place to alert employees of imminent movement. On or about 3/16/2007 an employee of the company was seriously injured after being struck by a 50-foot long by 84-inch diameter pipe during the startup of the "A" conveyor line. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct the hazard in paragraph d) is to adopt the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME B20.1-2000 titled Safety Standard for Conveyors and Related Equipment. Specifically, paragraph 5.11.2(b) states the following: "A conveyor that would cause injury when started shall not be started until personnel in the area are alerted by a signal or by a designated person that the conveyor is about to start". e) Located in the Spiral Mill building, control panels "A&B" and B&C were wired/configured in such a way to allow operators to "reset" or "restart" conveyors "A","B" and "C" that had been stopped due to activation of emergency stop light sensors without knowing if an employee was in the path of conveyor travel. Among other methods, on feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct the hazard listed in paragraph e) above is to adopt the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME B20.1- 2000 titled Safety Standard for Conveyors and Related Equipment. Specifically, paragraph 5.11.4 states the following: "Conveyor controls shall be so arranged that, in case of emergency stop, manual reset or start at the location where the emergency stop was initiated shall be required for the conveyor(s) and associated equipment to resume operation". f) The employer had not ensured that operators of the conveyor control stations, ("A&B" "B&C"), located in the Spiral Mill building, physically inspected conveyors prior to restarting those where movement had stopped possibly due to activation of an emergency light sensor(s). Employees are instructed to push the "reset" button on the conveyor control panel in the event that conveyors will not start for reasons unknown. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct the hazard listed in paragraph f) above is to adopt the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME B20.1- 2000 titled Safety Standard for Conveyors and Related Equipment. Specifically, paragraph 5.11.4 states the following: "Before restarting a conveyor that has been stopped because of an emergency, an inspection of the conveyor shall be made and the cause of the stoppage determined". g) Located in the Spiral mill building, the employer had not ensured that devices were installed on the north side of the "A" conveyor line to stop conveyor movement in the event of an emergency. On or about 3/16/2007, an employee of the company was seriously injured after being struck by a 50-foot long X 84- inch diameter pipe being moved by the "A" conveyor line. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to adopt the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME B20.1-2000 titled Safety Standard for Conveyors and Related Equipment. Specifically, paragraph 5.11.2(c) states the following: "Remotely and automatically controlled conveyors, and conveyors where operator stations are not manned or are beyond voice or visual contact from drive areas, loading areas, transfer points, and other potentially hazardous locations on the conveyor path not guarded by location, position, or guards, shall be furnished with emergency stop buttons, pull cords, limit switches, or similar emergency stop devices. h) Located in the Spiral mill building, the employer had not placed an appropriate warning to restrict access into the hazardous area of the "A" conveyor line. On or about 3/16/2007, an employee was seriously injured after entering the path of travel on "A" conveyor Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to adopt the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME B20.1-2000. Paragraph 5.13 states the following: "In the absence of a guard or barrier specifically erected to protect personnel, warnings shall be provided to restrict unauthorized personnel from entering hazardous loading, unloading and transfer areas. Abatement Note: Abatement certification and documentation are required for this item (See enclosed "Sample Abatement-Certification Letter").