OSHA Inspection: TRAWLER DEFENDER INC.

Issued

1992-05-28 00:00:00

Abate by

1992-05-31 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $250.00 · Current $100.00 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 recognized hazard of slipping, tripping or falling
into/onto deck, dock or water while entering or exiting boat or dock:
(a)  F/V Defender:  All employees had occasion to expose them-
selves to a slip, trip or fall while exiting or entering the
boat while tied up to the dock at Ketchikan, Alaska.  In the
absence of a means of access, the positioning of the boat at
the dock, with camels in place, left a possible step across
gap from the dock to the boat in excess of 12 inches.  Tide
variances and wave motion also created excessive distance
between the height of the dock and the boat.  Common prac-
tice on the F/V Defender is to step on the guard rail and
then to the dock to enter or exit the boat or vice versa.
This condition exposed employees to slips, trips and falls
resulting in possible lacerations, broken bones, contusions
and death from drowning.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method
to correct this hazard is to establish a policy of entering
or exiting the boat only with a proper means of access,
i.e., gangplank, straight ladder or jacobs ladder.