OSHA Inspection: KELL CONTAINER CORP.

Issued

2002-07-30 00:00:00

Abate by

2002-11-22 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $4900.00 · Current $2450.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

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)Wash Room of the Die Department; electric hoist was attached to a
homemade
cart, mounted on two vertical tracks, to transfer die tubes up to and down
from
the second floor. The stopper for the upper limit switch was improperly
installed
and used as the primary means for stopping the cart in the up position
which
contributed to the wire rope failure and the cart to fall from the second
floor
level.
Employees walked under the suspended cart to install and remove brackets
that
were placed in the track to catch the cart of a failure of the hoist or
cable
occurred. No engineering design or calculations were done on the brackets
to
ensure the strength was adequate to catch a freefalling cart. The cart was
stored
on the second floor with the brackets, in the tracks, two feet below the
cart.
Employees used the space under the cart as a walk way for this room.
1.Hoist did not have cautionary warning sign to include information such as
but not limited to: weight limit, centering the load, damaged rope,
operating a damaged malfunctioned hoist, and lifting people or loads over
people.  ANSI B30 16-1.1.4 WARNINGS
2.Hoist did not have required inspections: initial and frequent. The hoist
was
put into service without being inspected by a designated person to ensure
compliance with the applicable provisions. No frequent inspections were
performed since the hoist was put into service in Fall, 2001. The upper
limit switch was never tested as prescribed by inching the hoist up,
without a load, into the device. Rope inspections were not conducted.
ANSI B30 16-2.1, 16-2.1.2 and 16-2.4.1 INSPECTION, TESTING, and
MAINTENANCE
3.Hoist and load-suspension parts were not load tested as required. ANSI
B30 16-2.2.2(b)(2) LOAD TEST
4.Operators were not trained in the proper use of the hoist. Operators were
not told the weight capacity of the hoist, the operators used the upper
limit
switch as a normal means of stopping the hoist, nor were the operators
instucted on the proper means to install and remove the brackets from the
tracks. The cart for the lift was stored on the second floor level. ANSI
B30.16-3.1 HOISTING PRACTICES FOR OPERATORS
5.The cart was left on the second floor, suspended, with the non-engineered
brackets two feet below the cart. ANSI B30.16-3.1.4 PARKING THE
LOAD
6.Walking under a suspended load to install and remove brackets. Also
when cart was stored on the second floor and brackets in the track.
Owner's Manual Page 4.
7.Hoist was not installed in a location that will allow movement of the
operator to stay clear of the load. The room layout did not allow the cart
to be left on the first floor. Buckets were piled up alongside the track to
force the worker to install and remove the bracket while being underneath
the suspended cart. ANSI B30.16-1.3.3 LOCATION.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct
this hazard is to follow American National Standard Institute's ANSI B30
16-1993
Overhead Hoists ( Underhung )