OSHA Inspection: NEW BOSTON COKE CORPORATION

Issued

Feb 7, 2001

Abate by

Jun 1, 2001

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $500 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:
Employees walking and working in the vicinity of the railroad cars and
locomotive were
exposed to the hazard of being struck by / run over by the moving rail
cars and or
locomotive in that:
A) The locomotive and attached cars were at times moved by the operator
via remote control
in situations where the operator could not see down and across the tracks
in the direction of
travel.
B) Sections of track adjacent to the shaker platforms were lower than the
track on the
platform which therefor allowed cars rolling over these sections to
uncouple
due to the
difference in track height. Cars could then roll uncontrolled though this
area after
uncoupling.
Among others, feasible and acceptable means to correct this hazard would
be to follow the
company's "range of vision rule" that requires the locomotive and cars to
operated within the
operator's "range of vision", and to repair / raise the lowered sections
of track adjacent to
the shaker platform.

Issued

Feb 7, 2001

Abate by

Jun 1, 2001

Penalty

Initial $1,375

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:
Employees walking and working in the vicinity of the wire rope cable used
to attach rail cars
to the car puller were exposed to the hazard of being struck by the cable
in
the event of cable
breakage due to moving the cars with the locomotive, while the cars were
still attached to the
car puller.
Among others, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this hazard
would be to institute
and enforce a company policy prohibiting any movement of rail cars with
the locomotive while
the car puller is attached to cars.

Issued

Feb 7, 2001

Abate by

Feb 7, 2002

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,000 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:
Employees working from the moving locomotive and rail cars in the facility
were exposed to
the hazard of being thrown from the derailed cars and locomotive, due to
deteriorated track
conditions at various locations in the facility including, but not limited
to,
the following:
A) The Storage 1 track which contained sections that were missing ties, or
where ties were
rotted and were no longer attached to the track rails or no longer
supported the track rail.
B) The Storage 2 track which contained sections that were missing ties, or
where ties were rotted
and were no longer attached to the track rails or no longer supported the
track rail.
C) The Diesel shop lead track which contained sections that were missing
ties, or where ties
were rotted and were no longer attached to the track rails or no longer
supported the track rail.
D) The South Slag line track which had damaged / corroded sections of
track rail where pieces
of rail base were broken or corroded away, and pieces of rail head that
were broken away at rail
joints. This track also contained sections that were missing ties, or
where ties were rotted and
were no longer attached to track rails or no longer supported the track.
E) The scales track which contained sections that were missing ties, or
where ties were rotted
and were no longer attached to the track rails or no longer supported the
track.
F) The Hi-line crossover track which had a dislodged guard rail.
G) The Coal Handler South Hi-Line track which had pieces of rail that were
broken away at rail
joints and / or broken at rail joints where the break ran down through and
behind the rail joint
bar so as to be partially concealed by the joint bar.
Employees were further exposed to the hazard of being thrown from the cars
and locomotive
due to striking objects on the track in that the "pilot" or "endplate" on
the front of the
locomotive had been damaged and was replaced with steel tubing that was 8
& 1/8" above the
rail surface, rather than the maximum 6" clearance allowed by Federal
Railroad Regulation 49
CFR 229.123.
Among others, feasible and acceptable means to correct this hazard would
be to inspect and
repair sections of track in compliance with Federal Railroad
Administration 49 CFR 213 Track
Safety Standards, and to configure the "pilot" or "endplate" on the front
of the locomotive to
conform to the clearance specifications listed in Federal Railroad
Regulation 49 CFR 229.123.

Issued

Feb 7, 2001

Abate by

May 1, 2001

Penalty

Initial $1,925 · Current $1,000 Reduced

Issued

Feb 7, 2001

Abate by

Mar 13, 2001

Penalty

Initial $1,100 · Current $1,000 Reduced