Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 Hazard: STRUCK BY

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 as amended in 1990: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in that employees were required to use fish racks with broken, protruding parts and bent basket supports and fish rack baskets with broken protruding wires that had caused, were causing, or were likely to cause puncture wounds and cuts requiring doctor's treatment: In the butchering, main packing and mini packing areas of the cannery, an evaluation of 168 fish racks and their associated fish baskets found 63 racks with broken, protruding metal parts, 53 racks with bent basket supports, and 105 fish baskets with broken, protruding wires, exposing employees handling the racks and baskets to the hazard of striking against the broken, protruding fish rack and basket parts; and the employees working near the racks to the hazard to being struck by fish baskets that fall off the fish racks. The employer did not implement an effective fish rack and fish basket maintenance strategy to reduce or eliminate such injuries. The employer's injury and illness records document puncture wounds and cuts requiring doctors' treatment at the fish rack and fish basket tasks. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is the implementation of an effective fish rack and fish basket maintenance program consisting of the following elements: 1. Fish racks and fish baskets with defects, such as, broken, protruding metal parts, bent fish basket supports, or other defective components, shall either be immediately marked in a manner that readily identifies them as defective, or be tagged with "Do Not Use" or similar language, and shall be withdrawn from service until repaired. 2. Fish rack and fish basket repairs shall restore the racks and baskets to a condition meeting at least the original design criteria, before the racks or baskets are returned to service. 3. The employer shall ensure that defective fish racks and fish baskets are tagged and withdrawn from service until repaired to a condition meeting at least the original design criteria. Step 1:Develop a plan to implement a fish rack and fish basket maintenance program as delineated in items 1 through 3 above or other equally effective abatement methods. Step 2:Submit to the Area Director/Director of Enforcement and Investigation a written detailed plan of abatement, outlining a schedule for implementation of the maintenance program as detailed above or other equally effective abatement methods. Step 3:Implementation of the maintenance program detailed above or other equally effective abatement methods.