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

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: On or about July 30, 2010 and a times prior thereto, with respect to the jobsite located at 723 North Van Buren in Heber Springs, Arkansas, where employees were constructing a two story residential apartment complex. An employee was operating a Genie GTH- 1056 extensible boom rough terrain forklift. The employee was transiting horizontally across a slope that was approximately 35 degrees from horizontal, the boom was extended approximately 42 feet,and was elevated approximately 30 degrees. This practice exposed the employee to crushing hazards in the event of a roll over. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method is to establish and enforce a policy that requires employees to comply with the safety and operator's manuals provided by the manufacturer. a)The safety manual states on page 18: "Choose a smooth level route to prevent possible tip over." Page 25 States: Carrying the load as low as possible and fully retracted will ensure you are operating within the maximum stability limits of the forklift." Page 26 states: "Traveling with the load in an elevated position is very dangerous and can cause tip over." Page 28 states: "Do not drive across excessively steep slopes under any circumstances." b)The operator's manual states on page 5:"Overturning Hazard Death or serious bodily injury can result from traveling with an elevated load." Page 11 states: "Do not raise the boom if the machine is not level. The machine level indicator should be at zero degrees." Page 12 states: "When driving, keep the boom at or below horizontal and keep the load close to the ground.", "Always wear a seatbelt when operating the machine." and: "On steep terrain, drive only up and down hill, and keep the machine in gear." Abatement disclaimers: 1. The employer is not limited to the abatement methods above. 2. The recommended abatement methods may not be effective in all circumstances. 3. The employer is responsible for selecting an appropriate abatement method.