OSHA Inspection: MIDDLESEX CORPORATION

Issued

Jun 8, 2006

Abate by

Jul 14, 2006

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $2,700 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not furnish
employmnent 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 falls from a moving
flat-bed truck when retrieving and up-righting traffic cones displaced by
traffic.  Feasible means of abatement
include, but are not limited to the following:
(1)  Provide seats fastened to the platform behind the flat-bed truck and
provide a means of restraint to keep
the employee in the seat while retrieving the traffic cones while the
truck is in motion.
(2)  Retrieve and replace the traffic cones after the truck comes to a
halt, keeping the employee upright and
standing behind the railings on the truck platform.
(3)  Purchase and use an automatic traffic cone setter/retriever where the
operator stays inside the truck bed
and simply loads or unloads a conveyor which picks up or distributes the
traffic cones.
RTE 2 FROM WENDELL, MA. EASTBOUND TO RTE 202, ORANGE, MA:  AN EMPLOYEE WAS
LYING ON THE TOP RAIL OF A GUARDRAIL SYSTEM ON A WORK PLATFORM BEHIND  A
MOVING FLAT-BED TRUCK RETRIEVING AND UP-RIGHTING TRAFFIC CONES DISPLACED BY
TRAFFIC.  THE EMPLOYEE WAS  EXPOSED TO A FALLING HAZARD SHOULD THE DRIVER
HIT
AN OBJECT IN THE ROAD OR HAVE TO STOP QUICKLY.