OSHA Inspection: ARMOUR SWIFT-ECKRICH

Issued

Jul 25, 2000

Abate by

Jul 28, 2000

Penalty

Initial $1,125 · Current $1,125

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 the recognized hazards
associated with an unstable
roller conveyor.
Employees were potentially exposed to being struck by the falling roller
conveyor to the Case-
off Area due to the conveyor being unstable and not reenforced.  Two
conveyor legs had been
moved towards the center of the conveyor, causing the conveyor to be
cantilevered, without
additional supports or bracing to reinforce the roller conveyor to prevent
it from tipping or
collapsing.
Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct
this hazard include,
but are not limited to the following:
a)Employer shall under no circumstances alter the safety characteristics
of the
conveyor if such alterations would endanger personnel as referenced in
Section
5.12.7 of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B20.1-1976.  Some
examples of feasible abatement that could stabilize the roller conveyor
could be
knee braces or lagging the conveyor to the floor.
b)Employer shall conduct routine inspections. Prevention and corrective
maintenance programs shall be initiated to insure that all safety features
and
devices are retained and function properly as referenced in 5.12.8 of ANSI
B20.1-1976.  Some examples of feasible abatement could be inspections of
the
conveyors or adequate corrective actions after a conveyor collapse.