OSHA Inspection: AEE

Issued

Sep 25, 2008

Abate by

Sep 29, 2008

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $1,750 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 6(a) of the Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act:  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 physical harm to employees in
that employees were
exposed to:
Seccion 6(a) de la Ley de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo de Puerto Rico:
El patrono no
proveyo empleo y un sitio de empleo libre de riesgos reconocidos que esten
causando o que
puedan causar muerte o dano fisico a los empleados, por cuanto empleados
estaban expuestos
a:
Receive severes contusions, lacerations, abrasions, severe body trauma and
death.
a)Employees have reported for receive different irrigation job briefings
orders and
training.  They have entered daily and continually by a steel crossing
gate
of two
parts which weight nearly 1,000 pounds and which was not installed
completely.
This gate is supposed to be to work with an electric power engine and with
an
emergency system which stop immediately when arrives to the closing point.
This is a mobile gate that was used manually and did not have in both
sides any
type of steel device to avoid that both parts of it come out of the rail.
This gate
fell down at certain time early in the morning to one of the PRPEA (Puerto
Rico
Power Electric Authority) employee when he pulled it to try to entry to
the work
area.  At this area there are two additional gates which conduce to the
Irrigation
area and which were not used for entry and exit and the employer having
knowledge about the hazard, permited his employees work near and behind to
this
main entrance gate.  The employer did not perform a workplace hazard
analysis
about the danger that represent for his employees the fact of use this gate
manually without been installed completely and secure.  The employer did
not
take caution measures to assure his employees will not working near to
this gate
at any moment as a preventive action or takes another safety measures that
keep
them aware when they were walking near to it.  Last april 17, 2008 a woman
security guard working for the company known as Capitol Security Police was
working inside of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Electric Authority
(Irrigation
District).  She was waiting for the exit of the last employee of the day
to pull the
main entrance crossing gate located at the main entrance and close it.
When she
pulled and tried of joined both parts of the gate, she exceed its extreme
limits,
came out of the rail and fell down over her causing death immediately due
to
severe body trauma as established in the autopsy; for this reason Puerto
Rico
Power Electric Authority employees were exposed to receive the severes
injuries
described previously.
Location:  Entrance area of the Puerto Rico Power Electric Authority
(Irrigation
District) Mora Camp, Road #2, km 112.4, Isabela, P.R.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct
this hazard is the performing of a workplace hazard analysis and keep
employees
far enough of the main entrance crossing gate, using as entrance and exit
theother two additional gates located at both sides of it which conduce to
the
Irrigation area.  Establish no one of them are suppose to work near to
such main
entrance gate until its installation is complete and secure with a least
two steel
safety devices on each part that avoid the crossing gate exceed the
extreme limits
and come out of the rail.  The employer must establish this prevention
plan as
soon as possible.  Also the employer must included another safety measures
that
keep aware employees when they are walking near to this main entrance
crossing
gate.
Recibir contusiones severas, laceraciones, abrasiones, trauma severo
corporal y muerte.
a)En el area de entrada principal de la Autoridad de Energia Electrica de
Puerto
Rico, (Distrito de Riego), Campamento Mora, Carr. #2, km 112.4, Isabela,
P.R.
- Empleados se reportaron para recibir diferentes ordenes de trabajo y
adiestramiento.  Ellos entraron diaria y continuamente por un porton de
hierro de
dos hojas el cual pesa aproximadamente 1,000 libras y el cual no fue
instalado
completamente.  Este porton estaba supuesto a funcionar con un motor de
energia
electrica y con un sistema de emergencia el cual se detiene inmediatamente
cuando llegue hasta el punto de cierre.  Este es un porton movible que fue
utilizado manualmente y no tenia en ambos lados algun tipo dispositivo de
acero
que evitara que ambas partes se salieran del carril.  Este porton se le
cayo en un
momento dado temprano en la manana a uno de los empleados de la AEE cuando
lo halo para tratar de entrar al area de trabajo.  En esta area hay dos
portones
adicionales los cuales conducen al area de Riego y los cuales no fueron
utilizados
para entrar y salir y el patrono teniendo conocimiento acerca del riesgo
permitio
que sus empleados trabajaran cerca y detras del porton de entrada
principal.  El
patrono no realizo un analisis de riesgos acerca del peligro que
representa para
sus empleados el hecho de utilizar este porton manualmente sin haber sido
instalado completamente y seguro.  El patrono tampoco tomo medidas de
precaucion para asegurarse de que sus empleados no trabajarian cerca de
este
porton en ningun momento como accion preventiva o de tomar otras medidas de
precaucion para mantenerlos alertas cuando estos estuvieran caminando
cerca de
el.  El pasado 17 de abril de 2008 una mujer guardia de seguridad
trabajando
para la compania conocida como Capitol Security Police estuvo trabajando
en el
interior del Distrito de Riego de la Autoridad de Energia Electrica de
Puerto
Rico.  Ella estuvo esperando por la salida del ultimo empleado del dia
para halar
el porton localizado en la entrada principal y cerrarlo.  Cuando ella lo
halo y
trato de juntar ambas partes del porton, excedio sus limites, se salio del
carril y
cayo sobre ella ocasionandole la muerte inmediatamente debido a trauma
corporal
severo establecido asi en la autopsia; por esta razon los empleados de la
Autoridad de Energia Electrica de PR fueron expuestos a recibir las
lesiones
descritas previamente.
Localizacion:  Area de entrada principal de la Autoridad de Energia
Electrica de
Puerto Rico, (Distrito de Riego), Campamento Mora, Carr. #2, km 112.4,
Isabela
P.R.Entre otros metodos, un metodo de correccion factible y aceptable para
corregir
este riesgo es la realizacion de un analisis de riesgos y mantener a los
empleados
bastante lejos del porton de entrada principal, utilizando como entrada y
salida los
otros dos portones adicionales localizados a ambos lados de este que
conducen al
area de Riego.  Establecer que ninguno de ellos estan supuestos a trabajar
cerca
de dicho porton de entrada principal hasta tanto su instalacion sea
completa y
segura por lo menos con dos dispositivos de acero en cada hoja que evite
que este
se exceda de sus limites y se salga de su carril.  El patrono debe
establecer este
plan de prevencion tan pronto como sea posible.  Tambien el patrono debe
incluir
otras medidas de seguridad que mantengan alerta a los empleados cuando
estos
esten caminando cerca de este porton de entrada principal."