OSHA Inspection: LITTON AVONDALE INDUSTRIES

Issued

Dec 15, 1999

Abate by

Feb 3, 2000

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $3,070 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was 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 conditions listed below:
a)  Avondale Shipyards, 5100 River Rd, Avondale, LA. On or about 11 August
1999,
adequate training, retraining and recertification of crane operators for a
specific type of
crane (Clyde 54T rail mounted gantry crane) was not provided by the
employer. This
condition exposed employees working near cranes at the employers facility
to
the hazards
and injuries related to being struck by or caught by suspended and/or
falling loads.
Instances:
a)According to ASME B30.4-1996 "Portal, Tower and Pedestal Cranes" Chapter
4-3, Para 4-3.1.2 Qualifications for Operators:
"(a) Operators shall be required by the employer to pass a practical
operating
examination. Examination shall be limited to the specific type of
equipment which will
be operated"
The employer had only two cranes of this specific type within the shipyard
and did not
assure that the operators were adequately trained on this type of crane.
b)According to ASME B30.4-1996 "Portal, Tower and Pedestal Cranes" Chapter
4-3, Para 4-3.1.3 Conduct of Operators:
"(i)The operator shall be familiar with the equipment and its proper care.
If
adjustments or repairs are necessary, the operator shall report the
condition promptly to
the appointed person, and shall notify the next operator."
"(j) All controls shall be tested by the operator at the start of a new
shift. If any controls
do not operate properly, they shall be adjusted or repaired before
operations are begun."
The crane controls had no indicator that would allow for the operator to
know if the
boom dog was engaged and the employer did not take the necessary steps to
install a
device that would provide this information to the operator.
Among other methods, some feasible and acceptable abatement methods to
correct these
hazards would be to:
a)Enhance the employers training program to include additional testing of
the crane
operators to assure that the operators thoroughly understand and can
effectively
demonstrate their ability to operate the specific type crane.
b)Install a device on or near the control panel that would let the
operator know if
the boom dog was engaged on this type of crane.d