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 condition(s) listed below: a) On or about October 16, 2008, at the Granite Construction Company work site located at 5279 34th Street in Lubbock, Texas, the John Deere Backhoe, Model 310SG, Serial # T0310SG903543 was used to lift and move a Hansen Type C Curb Inlet, made of cement and weighing 1,860 pounds. A hydraulic hose failure occurred, causing fatal "struck-by" injuries to an employee as the backhoe bucket fell on him. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to develop a thorough and rigorous periodic preventative maintenance program to identify hydraulic hose deterioration and replace any and all hydraulic hoses that appear deteriorated. Another feasible abatement method is to install a safety check valve system to prevent/limit mechanical movement following a catastrophic hose failure.