OSHA Inspection: ABOVE & BEYOND CLEANING SYSTEMS, INC.

Issued

Aug 1, 2006

Abate by

Aug 7, 2006

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $2,800

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 serious fall hazards:
Boxer Building, 750 Main Street, Hartford, CT:  Employees of Above &
Beyond Window
Washers performing window washing activities on the exterior of the 17
story building were
using rope descent systems consisting of a Miller chair and a Sky Genie
chair, a Petzel mountain
climbing belt and a Singing Rock rock climbing belt with descent device
racks.
1.  The support lines and the safety lines for the rope descent systems
were tied to free
standing counterweights on the roof. The counterweights did not have
enough weight to
safety support the employees.
2.  The support lines and safety lines were tied together to the same
counterweights on the
roof. The tiebacks for the support lines and the tie backs for the safety
lines were
attached to the same roof railings. Tiebacks were not perpendicular to the
wall of the
building. A tieback on the west wall had excessive slack in the rope
between the
counterweight and the tieback attaching point.
3.  Round counterweights were attached to the rigging at the roof using
short lengths of
violet color polypropylene rope that did not have adequate strength. A
carabiner used to
connect the counterweights was not locked.
4.  Where support lines and safety lines for the rope descent systems went
over the edge of
the parapet walls and went over the edges of the roof, the cloth rags used
to protect the
lines from abrasion were not adequate.
5.  On the west wall two rope sections were tied together to make one of
the
safety lines
long enough to reach the ground. This required disconnecting the rope grab
as the
worker descended past the knot. In addition, the knot significantly
reduced the impact
strength of the rope.
6.  One black safety line being used had a badly frayed section that was
nicked. The safety
line being used on the west wall had excessive wear. The webbing material
for both the
Sky Genie and the Miller chair had excessive wear.
7.  The two employees doing window washing were wearing rock climbing
harnesses. One
harness was a Singing Rock harness. The other harness was a Pezel harness.
Neither
harness was rated as a fall arrest harness. Lanyards were made out of
nylon webbing
material that did not have adequate strength or shock absorbing
characteristics. Rope
grabs being used were designed for ascending fixed ropes and did not have
adequate
strength. A carabiner connector being used was marked "For Climbing and
Mountaineering Use Only."
Among other methods the following are feasible and acceptable means of
abating the hazards:
1. Install roof support equipment and suspension devices for rope descent
systems that meet
the design and installation requirements of American National Standards
Institute standard
ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 "Window Cleaning Safety". Ensure that all components of
the
system have an adequate safety factor. Eliminate the use of free standing
counterweights.
2.  Ensure that fall arrest systems including safety lines are independent
of support systems.
Ensure that tiebacks are attached to an anchorage in line (within 15
degrees of
perpendicular) with the area being accessed. Ensure that anchorage points
have been
certified that they are capable of sustaining a 5000 pound minimum load or
a minimum
4 to 1 safety factor whichever is larger.  Ensure that tiebacks have a
minimum amount
of slack.
3.  Eliminate the use of polypropylene rope. Ensure that all carabiners
are locked before use.
4.  Provide better protection for all ropes to protect them from contact
with surfaces that
may abrade, sever, weaken or damage them.
5.  Use safety lines that are not spliced or knotted to ensure that the
workers are connected
to the fall arrest system at all times when suspended and to ensure that
the strength of
the rope is not compromised.
6.  Develop and implement a comprehensive maintenance and inspection
program to cover
window washing equipment including rope descent systems and safety
devices.  Conduct
a thorough inspection of all lines and equipment before each use.
Immediately remove
from service those components that have defects. Permanently mark all
ropes with the
date of manufacture and the date they were placed in service. Remove ropes
from service
if they have been in use over 2 years or if they are more than three years
from the date
of manufacture.
7.  Ensure that employees who are using rope descent systems wear full
body harnesses, use
lanyards, and use rope grabs that meet the requirements of the American
National
Standards Institute standard ANSI Z359.1 "Safety Requirements for Personal
Fall Arrest
Systems." Do not use ascenders in lieu of fall protection rope grabs.
Ensure that all
carabineers and other hardware being used meet the requirements of ANSI
Z359.1 and
contain the specific marking requirements called for in the ANSI standard.

Issued

Aug 1, 2006

Abate by

Aug 7, 2006

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $2,800