OSHA Inspection: CATERPILLAR INC.

Issued

May 4, 2006

Abate by

Dec 7, 2006

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $3,000 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 press
operators were exposed to the hazard of being struck by the mold drawers:
The mold drawers for the #4 Hydraulic Press in the Mounts Area were not
adequately protected
from rolling out of their tracks as the employer was not requiring the
utilization of two stops on
each mold drawer on the operator side of the machine when it was evident
that mold drawer
stops frequently fail subjecting employees to the hazard of falling mold
drawers.  All four of the
mold drawers had only one mold stop instead of two on the operator end of
each drawer, and
the top drawer that came loose from the press had the one mold drawer stop
hanging from one
bolt.
On or about December 13, 2005, at 2416 Mid-America Industrial Drive,
Boonville,
Missouri,
a press operator received fatal injuries when the press operator was
struck by the top mold
drawer when it came out of the rails at the end of the press.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this
hazard is to ensure the
following:
1)Require the use of two mold stops, instead of just one, for each drawer.
2)Design a better mold stop for the end of the press to ensure that the
tray does not
come off the end of the rails when the press is being utilized.
3)Design and install a redundant stopping system for mold drawers.
Abatement certification is required for this violation (using the
CERTIFICATION OF
CORRECTIVE ACTION WORKSHEET), and in addition, documentation demonstrating
that
abatement is complete must be included with your certification.  This
documentation may
include, but is not limited to, evidence of the purchase or repair of the
equipment, photographic
or video evidence of abatement, or other written records.