OSHA Inspection: MASONIC TEMPLE

Issued

1998-06-03 00:00:00

Abate by

1998-07-21 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $750.00 · Current $750.00

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:
(a) Three employees were exposed and one suffered a fatal injury as a
result of
bypassing a mechanical safety lock that was intended to keep out
unauthorized
persons.
(b) Employees who were expected to bypass the safety device had not
received
training in safe procedures, such as:
1)Checking to assure location of elevator.
2)Safe operation of the emergency device key and procedure to open
the elevator door.
3)Awareness training for the fall hazard.
(c)The emergency device was available to persons other than maintenance or
authorized persons.
While ultimate responsibility for correcting the hazard rests  with the
employer, given his/her
superior knowledge of the work place, feasible and acceptable methods to
correct this hazard,
among others, are:
(1)The qualified person(s) to use the emergency device to open the doors
should be trained
by a recognized elevator service company or trained in accordance with
ANSI Standards
and City elevator inspection procedures.  The established procedure should
be written.
(2)In the absence of a qualified person to open the doors, the elevator
service company
should be summoned.
Reference materials: American National Standard Safety Code for Elevators
Dumbwaiters
Escalators and Moving Walks; (ANSI A17.1-1971); Rule 111.9e and Rule
111.10.