OSHA Inspection: ARCHER WESTERN CONTRACTORS, LTD.

Issued

Feb 20, 2008

Abate by

Apr 7, 2008

Penalty

Initial $6,300 · Current $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 to each of his employees
conditions of 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 being
caught-in and/or between the concrete augers on a Gomaco PS-60 paving
machine:
a)jobsite - worker was performing repair activities on a Gomaco PS-60
concrete
paver (striker pulley assembly), on September 13, 2007.  The equipment was
being used on a highway paving project (Greensboro Western Loop-SW Section)
when the striker pulley broke loose from its mounting bracket.  While
attempting
to repair the striker pulley assembly, the employee was caught in the
concrete
auger section of the equipment when the movement of the machine forward was
re-started.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement to correct the
hazard and to prevent the recurrence of such hazards, is to revise the
LO/TO
procedure to include the activation of at least one of the e-stops, and
retrain any
and all employees involved in paving activities to ensure that they
understand how
to correctly disable the paving equipment by following the LO/TO procedure,
prior to maintenance/repair activities.