OSHA Inspection: EUSTIS CABLE ENTERPRISES LTD

Issued

Aug 8, 2008

Abate by

Sep 11, 2008

Penalty

Initial $875 · Current $875

General-duty citation text

21 VSA Title 23, Chapter 3, Sub-Chapter 5, Section 223(a):
Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970: The employer did not furnish a place of employment which
was free from recognized hazards that would cause or likely to
cause death or serious physical harm to employees who were
exposed to vehicular-strike hazards from moving vehicular traffic
on a roadway.
Location: Eustis Cable Enterprises Limited of 355 East Street,
Brookfield Vermont near 385 College Street in Burlington Vermont
between South Willard Street & South Williams Street.
Violation: The employer did not provide a place of employment
which was free from recognized hazards that would cause or likely
cause death and/or serious physical harm for the employees
engaged in setting and/or securing and/or adjusting and/or
maintaining and/or repairing of the underground communication
cables on College Street in Burlington Vermont. Employees were
not provided with highly visable clothing to be used as required
personal protective equipment when employees are exposed to a
vehicular-strike hazard in roadways per the Manual of Uniform
Control Devices (1988 Edition,  Revision 3 or the Millennium
Edition) that is incorporated by reference in 29 CFR 1926
200(g)(2), while exposed to the moving traffic on College Street
in Burlington Vermont with a regulated speed limit of 30 miles
per hour. Among other methods, several feasible and acceptable
abatement methods implemented together in combination and/or
separately to correct this hazard are: 1) Provide employees with
highly visible clothing in the form of uniforms, tee-shirts,
vests, or jackets to wear when engaged in work on roadways during
daylight hours; 2) Provide employees with highway safety vests
that can include reflective and retro-reflective materials that
will be visible by motor vehicle operators up to 1000 feet away
to identify employees working in roadway during evening hours; 3)
Train employees on the identification of the hazards associated
with exposure to vehicle traffic while working on roadways; 4)
Provide closure to the area of the roadway where employees will
perform duties to exclude vehicle traffic from entering the area
where employees are working in the roadway; 5) Notify law
enforcement authorities to provide traffic diversion or control
at the work area when employees are working in the roadway; 6)
Notify and use private commercial traffic control companies who
can provide a service of controlling traffic by the use of
trained, approved, certified flaggers and traffic flagging
equipment and devices.