OSHA Inspection: NCDOT, DIVISION OF HIGHWAYS

Issued

Jun 2, 2006

Abate by

Jun 7, 2006

Penalty

Initial $6,300

General-duty citation text

North Carolina General Statute 95-129(1) of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of North Carolina:  The
employer did not furnish each of his employees conditions of employment
and a place of employment free from
recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious
physical harm to employees in that
employees were exposed to:
a)State Route 1123 in Chocowinity - where, on 1/3/06,  an employee was
seriously injured when
he was struck by a private vehicle while patching potholes located in the
roadway.  The
employee later passed away on 1/14/06 as a result of the injuries he
sustained from the
accident.
One feasible and acceptable abatement method, among others, to correct
this hazard is to
provide a shadow vehicle in addition to a work vehicle to protect the
employees on both sides
while working on or near the roadway, as referenced in Chapter VI of the
Manual on Uniform
Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) under Chapter 6H-17 "Mobile Operations on
a Two-Lane
Road".  The North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of
Highways references
the use of Chapter VI under their NCDOT Safe Operating Procedures (SOP),
10-21 "Work
Zone Safety/Traffic Control", Revision #1 (issued October 1, 2004).  Also,
provide employees
with approved hand-signaling devices.
References:  NCDOT Safe Operating Procedures (SOP), 10-21 "Work Zone
Safety/Traffic Control",
Revision #1 (issued October 1, 2004), Reference Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices (MUTCD,
2003 ed.), Chapter 6H-17 "Mobile Operations on a Two-Lane Road (along with
Figure 6H-17) indicate the use
of a shadow vehicle when operations are conducted on a two lane road and
Reference Manual on Uniform
Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD, 2003 ed.), Chapter 6E, Section 6E.03
"Hand-Signaling Devices".