Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 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 struck-by hazard from collapsing building structural components or equipment: a.At the Atrazine Mixer area, employees were exposed to a possible roof collapse, in that, the main support beams were coming off their supports and were buckling. The wooden rafters were compromised due to frequent exposure to rain water which also caused the roof to bow down thus exerting strain on the beams' support ends. b.At the old Mill area, the metal support struts, catwalk structural support beams, bracing, and other metal support structures were rusted and deteriorated to the extent that their structural integrity was compromised. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this hazard are: 1.Replace deteriorated metal support struts, bracing, support beams, etc. 2.Prevent employees from accessing the hazard areas. 3.Follow the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.'s Manual of Steel Construction Allowable Stress Design and: ensure that structural components are designed to tolerate corrosion, or are protected against corrosion that impairs the strength or serviceability of the structure; and, ensure that where beams are exposed, they are sealed against corrosion of interior surfaces or they are spaced sufficiently apart to permit cleaning and painting. 4.Ensure that the structures meet local building code requirements by having a structural engineer evaluate the building frame, support beams for the building and catwalks and their supports. 5.Follow the engineer's recommendations and implement repairs necessary to meet building code requirements by using a licensed contractor and ensure the building's structural integrity. 6.Develop and implement an ongoing mechanical integrity program for corrosion prevention including inspections and the maintenance of a record that the inspections were conducted. 7.Ensure that recommendations resulting from inspections are completed and maintain a record to facilitate the evaluation of the corrosion prevention program.on