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 hazard of falling from or of being struck by a locomotive, rail car or falling load while operating radio remote controlled locomotives: a) Bethlehem Steel Corporation - Plantwide - The radio remote control equipment is not properly maintained and/or operated and this causes employees to be exposed to injury, March 2, 1988. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct these hazards are: 1) Radio controlled locomotive operator training should be on-going to increase employee understanding of the equipment and to monitor and reinforce safe work practices. 2) Ground level and on-board locomotive inspections should be conducted at the beginning of each shift. Ground level inspections should include handrails, steps, couplers, window, headlights, indicator lights, air tank trains and any other obvious damage. On-board checks should include generator lights, emergency and independent brakes, water level, governor lubrication, oil tube, leaks, engine brake oil level, air compressor operation. 3) The operator should be prohibited from riding on the locomotive step or the step should be fitted with an anti-slip surface and the operator provided with restraining devices to prevent falls. 4) The operator and brakeman should have visual or auditory contact with each other at all times. (Since normal operations occasionally preclude visual contact, a means of auditory communication should be required.) 6) Locomotive mechanics should be given training in installation, repair and trouble shooting the mechanical radio remote control equipment. 7) All electronic repairmen, who have responsibility to service or repair the radio remote control equipment, should be given the manufacturers training program. 8) Femco customer service bulletin No. 44 concerning the maintenance of weatherproof ratings on the plastic transmitter case should be followed.