OSHA Inspection: THE RETEC GROUP

Issued

Feb 19, 2002

Abate by

Feb 22, 2002

Penalty

Initial $4,900 · Current $4,900

General-duty citation text

P.L. 91-596 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 involved in relocating a building were exposed to the hazards of
being struck by
debris or crushed by the collapse of the building:
A). Building No. 1, located on East Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia.  The
cribbing/moving
system used to support the weight of the building during the relocation
phase was improperly
designed.  The silty sand soil supporting the cribbing/moving system was
subjected to loads
higher than its ultimate capacity and many time higher than its safe
bearing capacity, on or about
08/30/2001.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this
hazard is to:
1. Analyze and evaluate the nature and the characteristics (e.g., safe
load
bearing capacity) of
the soil located under and in the vicinity of the building to be relocated.
2. Design and properly size the cribbing used to support the building
weight during the
relocation phase to ensure that the safe bearing capacity of the soil is
not exceeded.