OSHA Inspection: DENVER ZOOLOGICAL FOUNDATION, INC.

Issued

Aug 1, 2007

Abate by

Oct 3, 2007

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $3,500

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
zookeepers were exposed to contact with dangerous animals:
(a)Denver Zoological Foundation,Inc.,  2300 Steele Street, Denver, CO: On
or about
February 24, 2007 and at times prior thereto, the employer failed to
furnish
employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized
hazards in
that it did not develop and/or implement work protocols for zookeepers who
worked
in the Feline II Building and in other areas where large carnivores were
housed and
exhibited. This exposed zookeepers and other employees to inadvertent
contact with
large carnivores which could cause serious harm to employees.
Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct
this hazard
include:
1.Develop and implement protocols which incorporate best practices for
employee
safety.
(a)Develop a systematic, documented procedure for transferring animals;
(b)Require two zookeepers to work together during transfers of dangerous
animals with the second person re-checking all doors and locks and
independently verifying the location of the animal(s);
(c)Require two locked doors between the keeper and the animal whenever two
doors are available;
(d)Clarify your Carnivore Division Lock Policy and provide additional
training to
ensure that all levels of management interpret the policy correctly and
identically;
(e)Perform a job hazard analysis  for the zookeeper position which is
specific for
each animal exhibit; perform an additional job hazard analysis whenever a
new
animal is introduced into the area which may change the order in which
transfers are performed;
(f)Perform near miss investigations for all such incidents to determine
root
causes, communicate your findings to employees and take steps to avoid
recurrence;
(g)Evaluate the use of lockout/tagout or a similar method to ensure that
when a
keeper is in a particular work area, no one else can open a cage or
transfer an
animal;
(h)Modify animal enclosures to improve visibility into the area(s).
2.Develop training for zookeepers which identifies door and lock
protocols, transfer
protocols, hazard recognition, and examples of near misses and injuries
which have
previously occurred.
3.Perform periodic audits to ensure compliance with all established
procedures and
follow-up on safety concerns. Abatement Note:  Abatement certification and
documentation are required for this item
(see enclosed "Sample Abatement-Certification Letter").-Certification

Issued

Aug 1, 2007

Abate by

Aug 6, 2007

Penalty

Initial $700