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

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 crushing injuries while working under vehicles which were not safely positioned, raised, and secured to prevent them from falling: (a) Garage Area: On or about 05/19/10, an employee was crushed and sustained fatal injuries while working under a raised vehicle when the vehicle fell off of the lift. The employer failed to establish and ensure the use of procedures to ensure proper positioning and securing of the vehicle, such as, but not limited to: (1) The two front swing arms were set in the wrong location, slightly behind the vehicle's center line of gravity; (2) The vehicle was not checked to ensure the front swing arms were positioned properly, by raising the vehicle to a height of approximately 1 foot above the ground and shaking it; (3) The arm restraints were not engaged to lock the front swing arms in place; and (4) The worker entered under the lifted vehicle before it was at a safe working height to allow enough time to deal with any changing conditions. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods include developing and implementing procedures to ensure that vehicles are properly positioned and secured when they are being raised by the automotive lift as well as training lift operators to ensure that they are familiar with these procedures and all safety features of the lift. ANSI/ALI ALOIM:2008, "Safety Requirements for Operation, Inspection, and Maintenance for Automotive Lifts" as well as the publication "Vehicle Lifting Points for Frame Engaging Lifts, Model Years 1991- 2010" published by the American Lift Institute shall be followed, as well as the manufacturer's operating instructions, when lifting vehicles. Front swing arms shall be set properly, arm restraints shall be engaged, the vehicle shall be lifted slightly and shaken to ensure the arms are positioned properly, and workers shall not enter under lifted vehicles until they are at a safe height to allow enough time to deal with any changing conditions. "ABATEMENT DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS ITEM"