OSHA Inspection: AUSTIN BRIDGE AND ROAD

Issued

Aug 3, 2005

Abate by

Aug 8, 2005

Penalty

Initial $4,500

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 Hazard of being crushed between a Link-Belt
HTC-860 60-
ton crane carrier and a 45-foot flatbed trailer due to not being warned of
the hazards.
At the State Hwy 12 loop expansion project located at: I-30 and State Hwy
12 Loop, Dallas,
Texas 75063.
On or about February 20, 2005, at least five employees walking and working
near or next to
a Link-Belt HTC-860 60-ton Hydraulic Truck Crane and a 45-foot flatbed
combination
tractor trailer while erecting a concrete traffic barrier wall, were not
protected from the
hazards of being caught in-between the Crane carrier and the flatbed
trailer.
AMONG OTHER METHODS, A RECOGNIZED AND FEASIBLE MEANS OF
ABATEMENT TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
1)  Designate a storage area outside of the hazard area for the retrieval
of connection bolts,
nuts and angle iron by the employees;
2)  Use a Rough Terrain Crane that only requires one operator to operate
the crane and
carrier instead of a hydraulic truck crane that requires two operators;
3)  Always look prior to backing or use a signalman as specified by
Link-Belt Operator's and
Maintenance Manual for the HTC-860 hydraulic truck crane page 1-40;
4)  If equipped with a back-up alarm, ensure it is working correctly or
use the horn as a
signal as specified in the Link-Belt Operator's and Maintenance Manual for
the HTC-860
hydraulic truck crane page 1-40;
5)  Avoid assigning collateral duties that distract safety personnel
(foreman)
from focusing on
their safety responsibilities as specified by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) "Building Safer Highway Work Zones" page 20 ;
6)  Allow equipment to be operated or repaired only by persons who have
been trained and
authorized to work with that piece of equipment as specified by NIOSH
"Building Safer
Highway Work Zones" page 20;
7)  Assign responsibility for each piece of equipment to an individual
worker as specified by
NIOSH "Building Safer Highway Work Zones" page 20;
8)  Train equipment operators never to move equipment without making
positive visual
contact with any workers on foot near the equipment as specified by NIOSH
"Building Safer
Highway Work Zones" page 22;
9)  When workers, including equipment operators and supervisors, are
likely to be on foot
around operating vehicles and equipment, train all workers to recognize
and avoid the
hazards of working on foot around equipment as specified by NIOSH
"Building Safer Work
Zones" page 22;
10) Design the work space to eliminate or decrease backing and blind spots
as specified by
NIOSH "Building Safer Work Zones" page 22;
11) Never travel or stop the crane without first making sure that no
person or property will
be endangered as specified by Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
crane safety
manual for operators and maintenance personnel page 48;
12) Signal your intentions to move or stop by sounding the horn as
specified by the AEM
crane safety manual for operators and maintenance personnel page 48.e