Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 005 Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.132(a): Application. Protective equipment, including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers, shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards of processes or environment, chemical hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact. a. On the loading platform where employees connected to a horizontal lifeline when loading or unloading rail cars, the employer did not perform a hazard assessment to determine if the fall protection system was in proper working order thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard. ANSI/ASSE Z359.1 Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Componets indicates fall protection systems must be inspected by the user before each use and additionally by a competent person other than the user at intervals of no more than one year. ANSI/ASSE Z359.1 Section 7.1 requires prior to selecting a Personal Fall Arrest System, a competent person shall make an assessment of the workplace condiions where the equipment is required and understand the intended use of such equipment.a. At the area where the rail cars are loaded and unloaded, the horizontal lifeline was not inspected and checked to determine if they are sufficient to protect employees from fall hazards.