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

Nevada Revised Statute 618.375(1): 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: The employer failed to ensure that the place of employment was free from recognized hazards in that: Dal Toro kitchen, Employee #1, a line cook, was assigned to cook clams in the kitchen on level two (P2) when he noticed that the clams were bad. The Sous Chef sent Employee #1 down to P1 to get other box of clams from the walk in refrigerator. Employee #1 went downstairs retrieved the clams and placed the box onto the carriage of a Pflow Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor Lift. Employee #1 sent the lift up to P2 and walked back upstairs. Employee #1 walked to the lift, opened the doors, but failed to notice that the carriage was not present. Employee #1 fell into the lift shaft approximately five feet and onto a metal strut located over the top of the carriage. As a result the Employee #1 sustained a fractured left leg and a laceration to the palm of his right hand: a.The interlocks, designed to hold the doors closed on P2 when the carriage was not at that level, were not operational for at least one week prior to the accident. A paper sign had been posted on or near the P2 doors, by a chef, in Spanish stating "Careful the door will open you can fall". Also in English "Watch the first step!" Abated During Inspection 10/24/08. b.A safety barrier, designed by the manufacturer for backup up protection should the interlocks be damaged or malfunction and would prevent an employee from falling into the lift shaft, had not been installed. Reference: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Safety Standard for Conveyors and Related Equipment, B20.1-2006 - -Paragraph 6.21.2 Guarding. Sub-paragraph (b) "The conveyor housing shall be equipped with doors or an equivalent means at each manual loading and unloading station, arranged so that they can be opened only when the carrier is present at that level and such that the carrier cannot be actuated until they are closed. This requirement is typically satisfied by use of a mechanical locking device, which is actuated by the motion of the carrier, and an electrical switch indicated that the door is closed." -Paragraph 5.11.3 Safety Devices. "All safety devices, including wiring of electrical safety devices, shall be arranged to operate such that a power failure or failure of the device itself will not result in a hazardous condition." Reference: Pflow Vertical Lifts, Owner's Manual, Series 21 without deadlocks - -Page 4 Safety, "DANGER If you can open a gate when the unit is not at that level, or the unit will operate with a gate open, a safety device is not working and could result in serious injury or death." -Page 4 Safety, "WARNING DO NOT operate the unit if either the gates or interlocks are not functioning properly." Reference: Pflow Vertical Lifts, Installation Instructions, Series 21, 071905-211 - Safety Barrier Bar Instructions, Pflow 072999, B227-1 and Typical Ways to Mount Safety Bar Rails, B227-2. One feasible means of abatement would be to ensure that all employees and employer representatives read and understand the American Society of Mechanical Engineers B20.1 and prior to operation of the lift to read the Pflow Vertical Lifts Owner's Manual and Installation Instructions.