Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 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: Piedmont High School baseball diamond area: On or about July 7, 2007, employees were exposed to the hazards of being struck by an explosion stemming from the unintended ignition of fireworks. The employees were engaged in the presentation of a municipal fireworks display. The display was improperly set up in several aspects: a)The three mortar ready cans were too close to the mortars they were supporting. b)Cake type barrage fireworks were too close to the mortar operation. c)Cake type barrage fireworks cardboard boxes did not have their sides taped down providing clearance, nor were the boxes cut down providing clearance for angled tubes. Among other methods to mitigate employee exposure to unintentional fireworks explosions one method would be assurance of presentation compliance with the employer's existing instructions, the manufacturer's instructions, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code for Fireworks Displays, # 1123, 2006.