OSHA Inspection: AMALGAMATED BUILDING SERVICES, INC.

Issued

2004-03-04 00:00:00

Abate by

2004-03-09 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $125.00

General-duty citation text

Nevada Revised Statute 618.375(1):  The employer did not furnish
employment and a place of
employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or
likely to cause death
or serious physical harm to employees:
The employer failed to ensure that the place of employment was free from
recognized hazards,
as follows:
a.At the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on the northwest side of the building,
an
employee had been using anchor points that were not approved and designed
for
window cleaning. The employee life line had been tied off to the top 2
hand rails
of the catwalk and the weight cart tieback had been secured to the metal
kick
plate of the walkway using an "S" hook and fabric sling. Neither anchorage
point
being used was certified for 5000 pounds of force or a safety factor of
4:1. This
exposed the employee to a possible fall hazard of approximately 270 feet
to
the
lower level.
Reference: ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 - 2001, "Window Cleaning Safety", Section 3.9
and
Section 9.1.1 (*): Building owners and window cleaning contractors shall
not allow
suspended work to be performed unless it has been determined that the
building has
provided, identified, certified anchorages complying with Sections 9 or 10
for:
independent safety lines; tie-backs for outriggers, parapet clamps and
cornice hooks;
primary support anchorages for powered and manual boatswain's chairs;
primary support
anchorages for rope descent systems; horizontal (rope) lines or lifelines;
and wherever
else required. (*) Anchorages shall be capable of sustaining a 5000 pound
minimum load
or 4:1 safety factor, whichever is greater, in any direction that a load
may be applied.
One feasible method of abatement is to ensure that employees use the
anchorage
points
that are approved and certified and to follow the accepted safe practices
for window
cleaning included in ANSI/ICWA I-14.1 - 2001.1