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

Section 6(a) of the Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act: 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 physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to: Seccion 6(a) de la Ley de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo de Puerto Rico: El patrono no proveyo empleo y un sitio de empleo libre de riesgos reconocidos que esten causando o que puedan causar muerte o dano fisico a los empleados, por cuanto empleados estaban expuestos a: Receive severes contusions, lacerations, abrasions, severe body trauma and death. a)Employees have reported for receive different irrigation job briefings orders and training. They have entered daily and continually by a steel crossing gate of two parts which weight nearly 1,000 pounds and which was not installed completely. This gate is supposed to be to work with an electric power engine and with an emergency system which stop immediately when arrives to the closing point. This is a mobile gate that was used manually and did not have in both sides any type of steel device to avoid that both parts of it come out of the rail. This gate fell down at certain time early in the morning to one of the PRPEA (Puerto Rico Power Electric Authority) employee when he pulled it to try to entry to the work area. At this area there are two additional gates which conduce to the Irrigation area and which were not used for entry and exit and the employer having knowledge about the hazard, permited his employees work near and behind to this main entrance gate. The employer did not perform a workplace hazard analysis about the danger that represent for his employees the fact of use this gate manually without been installed completely and secure. The employer did not take caution measures to assure his employees will not working near to this gate at any moment as a preventive action or takes another safety measures that keep them aware when they were walking near to it. Last april 17, 2008 a woman security guard working for the company known as Capitol Security Police was working inside of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Electric Authority (Irrigation District). She was waiting for the exit of the last employee of the day to pull the main entrance crossing gate located at the main entrance and close it. When she pulled and tried of joined both parts of the gate, she exceed its extreme limits, came out of the rail and fell down over her causing death immediately due to severe body trauma as established in the autopsy; for this reason Puerto Rico Power Electric Authority employees were exposed to receive the severes injuries described previously. Location: Entrance area of the Puerto Rico Power Electric Authority (Irrigation District) Mora Camp, Road #2, km 112.4, Isabela, P.R. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is the performing of a workplace hazard analysis and keep employees far enough of the main entrance crossing gate, using as entrance and exit theother two additional gates located at both sides of it which conduce to the Irrigation area. Establish no one of them are suppose to work near to such main entrance gate until its installation is complete and secure with a least two steel safety devices on each part that avoid the crossing gate exceed the extreme limits and come out of the rail. The employer must establish this prevention plan as soon as possible. Also the employer must included another safety measures that keep aware employees when they are walking near to this main entrance crossing gate. Recibir contusiones severas, laceraciones, abrasiones, trauma severo corporal y muerte. a)En el area de entrada principal de la Autoridad de Energia Electrica de Puerto Rico, (Distrito de Riego), Campamento Mora, Carr. #2, km 112.4, Isabela, P.R. - Empleados se reportaron para recibir diferentes ordenes de trabajo y adiestramiento. Ellos entraron diaria y continuamente por un porton de hierro de dos hojas el cual pesa aproximadamente 1,000 libras y el cual no fue instalado completamente. Este porton estaba supuesto a funcionar con un motor de energia electrica y con un sistema de emergencia el cual se detiene inmediatamente cuando llegue hasta el punto de cierre. Este es un porton movible que fue utilizado manualmente y no tenia en ambos lados algun tipo dispositivo de acero que evitara que ambas partes se salieran del carril. Este porton se le cayo en un momento dado temprano en la manana a uno de los empleados de la AEE cuando lo halo para tratar de entrar al area de trabajo. En esta area hay dos portones adicionales los cuales conducen al area de Riego y los cuales no fueron utilizados para entrar y salir y el patrono teniendo conocimiento acerca del riesgo permitio que sus empleados trabajaran cerca y detras del porton de entrada principal. El patrono no realizo un analisis de riesgos acerca del peligro que representa para sus empleados el hecho de utilizar este porton manualmente sin haber sido instalado completamente y seguro. El patrono tampoco tomo medidas de precaucion para asegurarse de que sus empleados no trabajarian cerca de este porton en ningun momento como accion preventiva o de tomar otras medidas de precaucion para mantenerlos alertas cuando estos estuvieran caminando cerca de el. El pasado 17 de abril de 2008 una mujer guardia de seguridad trabajando para la compania conocida como Capitol Security Police estuvo trabajando en el interior del Distrito de Riego de la Autoridad de Energia Electrica de Puerto Rico. Ella estuvo esperando por la salida del ultimo empleado del dia para halar el porton localizado en la entrada principal y cerrarlo. Cuando ella lo halo y trato de juntar ambas partes del porton, excedio sus limites, se salio del carril y cayo sobre ella ocasionandole la muerte inmediatamente debido a trauma corporal severo establecido asi en la autopsia; por esta razon los empleados de la Autoridad de Energia Electrica de PR fueron expuestos a recibir las lesiones descritas previamente. Localizacion: Area de entrada principal de la Autoridad de Energia Electrica de Puerto Rico, (Distrito de Riego), Campamento Mora, Carr. #2, km 112.4, Isabela P.R.Entre otros metodos, un metodo de correccion factible y aceptable para corregir este riesgo es la realizacion de un analisis de riesgos y mantener a los empleados bastante lejos del porton de entrada principal, utilizando como entrada y salida los otros dos portones adicionales localizados a ambos lados de este que conducen al area de Riego. Establecer que ninguno de ellos estan supuestos a trabajar cerca de dicho porton de entrada principal hasta tanto su instalacion sea completa y segura por lo menos con dos dispositivos de acero en cada hoja que evite que este se exceda de sus limites y se salga de su carril. El patrono debe establecer este plan de prevencion tan pronto como sea posible. Tambien el patrono debe incluir otras medidas de seguridad que mantengan alerta a los empleados cuando estos esten caminando cerca de este porton de entrada principal."