Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: LIFTING

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 a crushing hazard: On or about July 8, 2008, and at times prior thereto, employees delivering 55-gallon drums of oil were exposed to crushing injuries while unloading the drums from the back of delivery trucks. Employees were allowed to roll 55-gallon drums on their rims while transferring them to the lift platform. Balancing a drum on it's rim creates an unstable condition where employees could lose control of the drum. An employee delivering drums on July 8, 2008, lost his balance while transferring two 55-gallon drums by rolling them on their rims, from the bed of the truck to the lift platform, fell from the platform and was struck by the drum as it also fell, resulting in fatal injures. Among other methods, some feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this hazard are: (a) control the movement of the drum by using a dolly to transfer drums from the bed of the truck to the lifting device, (b) develop and implement safe written procedures for the transfer of drums, (c) train employees in the application of the procedures and (d) enforce the procedures through disciplinary actions.nary