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

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 multiple injuries or death from falling hazard when using a platform without guard rails on a rough terrain truck: At the site, employees were exposed to multiple injuries and/or death created by the use of an elevated work platform which was not designed, constructed, and/or used in accordance with the acceptable requirements of the American Safety Standards for Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks, ASME/ANSI B56.6a-1998 and other acceptable industry practices. For example, the platform did not meet the following design and use requirements of sections 8.25 and 5.15 of ASME/ANSI B56.6a in the following areas: (1) Platform was not secured to the forks to prevent inadvertent pivot(2) Did not have the maximum work load and empty weight information prominently marked on the platform. (3) Restraining means such as guardrails or a means of securing personnel such as a body belt/harness and lanyard were not used. (a)At the site, an employee was exposed to a falling hazard when working off of a platform attached to the forks of a rough terrain truck. The platform did not have weight load information and the employee was exposed to a fall hazard because the platform was only guarded on three sides and the employee was not using a fall restraining device such as a body belt/harness and lanyard. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable means to correct these hazards are to use safer alternate methods such as a scaffold, an aerial lift or use a platform approved by the manufacturer meeting the design, manufacture, and requirements as ASME/ANSI B56.6a-1998 for all attachments on rough terrain forklifts. On or about May 12, 2005 at the work-site located at Hwy 49 - Southpointe Business Park in Paragould, Arkansas this employer allowed employees to work from a scaffold platform that had not been designed by a qualified person and that did not comply with the applicable requirements of 1926 for capacity, construction, use and fall protection. The platform was being used at elevations up to approximately 30 feet above ground, as it was attached to the forks of a Model G9-43A Gradall rough terrain forklift truck.