Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 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 the hazard of fire/fire by-products: a.Site - Employees were exposed to the hazards posed by fire and by-products of combustion in that pyrotechnics were used in the establishment where the following precautions were not taken on or about February 20, 2003: - Unused pyrotechnic materials were not stored at least 50 feet from unprotected heat sources, namely the ignited gerbs*. - A plan for the use of pyrotechnics had not been developed. - A walkthrough and a representative demonstration of the pyrotechnics had not been conducted. - All pyrotechnic operators were not licensed nor approved as required. - Two or more fire extinguishers were not readily accessible while the pyrotechnics were being loaded, prepared for firing, and fired. - Personnel who have a working knowledge of fire extinguishers were not present while the pyrotechnics were being handled and used. - Pyrotechnic devices were not mounted such that fallout from the device would not endanger human lives or result in personal injury. - Each pyrotechnic device was not separated from the audience by at minimum 15 feet (but not less than twice the fallout radius of the device). - Smoking was not prohibited within 25 feet of the area where pyrotechnics were being handled or fired. *Gerb: A cylindrical preload intended to produce a controlled spray of sparks with a reproducible and predictable duration, height, and diameter. ABATEMENT NOTE: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable means of abatement would have been to comply with the requirements of NFPA 1126 - Use of Pyrotechnics before a Proximate Audience.