Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 001 Hazard:

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer is not furnishing employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in that employees are being exposed to crushing hazards because hydraulic automotive lifts lack necessary safety devices and are being used improperly. This condition/practice was recently observed on May 19, 2011. More specifically, Springs Transmission and Automotive, Inc., is not ensuring that employees are protected from injury while using hydraulic lifts at the facility as follows: 1. The safety locking mechanisms (bars) originally installed on the two in-ground hydraulic floor lifts in the facility were not in place and were not functional. Without these devices in place, there is nothing to prevent the lifts from collapsing if hydraulic pressure is lost. 2. On the two in-ground hydraulic floor lifts and one other lift, lift supports were not placed under and in contact with the vehicles in a safe and secure manner. Blocks of wood and poorly fabricated adapter pads were used to support vehicles. Pads were also placed under unstable vehicle members such as shock mounts to support the weight of vehicles. 3. No maximum capacity information, operating instructions, or other pertinent manufacturer information was posted or available for the two in-ground hydraulic floor lifts. 4. Employees operating hydraulic lifts in the shop were not provided with training necessary to operate the lifts in a safe manner. 5. The hydraulic lifts in the shop had not been inspected by a qualified person for proper operation, proper functioning of safety devices, and structural condition. Abatement Note: Among other methods, several feasible and acceptable methods of abatement to correct these hazards would be to implement the requirements of the American National Standard for Automotive Lifts - Safety Requirements for Operation, Inspection and Maintenance (ANSI/ALI ALOIM - 1994) as well as the guidelines found in "Lifting it Right", a safety manual from the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI). These documents require lifts to be inspected to ensure that they are functioning properly and safely. They also suggest using vehicle manufacturer recommendations with regard to vehicle lifting points where lift supports contact the vehicle. These documents require that manufacturer and the ALI manual be onsite and used for training of operators. Abatement Note: Abatement certification and documentation are required for this item. See enclosed Sample Abatement Certification Letter.