OSHA Inspection: SAN LORENZO CONSTRUCTION CORP

Issued

May 22, 2009

Abate by

May 28, 2009

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $2,520 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 malfuction due to lack of maintanance to the scissor lift
equipment and fall:
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 estan
causando o que
puedan causar muerte o dano fisico a los empleados, por cuanto empleados
estaban expuestos
a mal funcionamiento debido a falta de mantenimiento al equipo de tijeras
y caidas:
At construction site of the Basketball Court of Gurabo the employees of
San Lorenzo
Construction Corp. were painting steel beams from a scissor lift brand JLG
and model
500RTS with serial number 0200026252; with the platform and out riggers
fully
extended
at a height of approximately 50'-0". The equipment was unsafe for usage
and in very
deficient conditions, it had faults such as: was fully covered of old
concrete all over the
equipment, which even made it impossible to visualize the schematic
diagrams of the
control panel. It had no battery and neither one of the terminals. The
carburetor inside
the internal bowl vent had a piece of rock to keep the butterfly open to
maintain the
motor in accelerated mode, the two front out riggers had leakages and one
was lacking
one of the bases. The motor oil was black due to the fact that it was not
changed
adequately. The alternator was damages, so it consumed the whole battery's
charge; a
new battery had to be brought in to turn on the equipment every time it
was to be used.
The switches on the control panel had to be pressed more than once in
order to work
appropriately as well as the emergency stop button. Their have been
occasions in which
the scissor lift has shut down or turned off with employees inside the
fully extended
basket; an aerial lift was used to get down the employees to safer ground.
As a result on
March 02, 2009 the employees of San Lorenzo Construction Corp. sustained
major
injuries when the scissor lift all of a sudden collapsed with them inside
the basket hitting
hard the bottom ground.
One feasible and abatement method among others to correct the hazard can
be: 1)
Perform visual inspections and verify operating conditions of the
equipment before being
put into service. 2) Provide better maintenance on a daily basis to the
equipment by
qualified mechanic. 3) Comply with the specifications and manufacturer's
recommendations for the use and maintenance of the equipment. 4) Remove the
equipment in unsafe conditions and identify it as "out of service".
En el proyecto en construccion de la Cancha de Baloncesto de Gurabo los
empleados de
San Lorenzo Construction Corp. estaban pintando vigas de acero desde un
camion tijeras
marca JLG y modelo 500 RTS con numero de serie 0200026252; con la
plataforma y los
gatos hidraulicos completamente extendidos a una altura aproximada de 50'-
0". El
equipo estaba en condiciones inseguras para su uso y en estado deficiente,
tenia faltas
tales como: El equipo estaba completamente cubierto de concreto viejo, lo
que impedia
el poder visualizar los diagramas esquematicos del panel de controles. No
tenia bateria
y le faltaba uno de los terminales. El orificio del tazon interno dentro
del carburadortenia una piedra para mantener la mariposa abierta para que
el motor permanezca
acelerado. Los gatos hidraulicos delanteros tenian liqueos de aceite y le
faltaba una de
las bases. El aceite de motor estaba negro debido a que no se cambia
adecuadamente. El
alternador estaba danado, entonces consumia toda la carga de la bateria;
se traia una
nueva para encender el equipo cada vez que fuese utilizado. Los
interruptores del panel
de controles tenian que oprimirse en mas de una ocasisn para estos trabajar
apropiadamente al igual que el boton de emergencias. Ha habido ocasiones
en que el
camion tijeras se ha apagado con los empleados dentro de la canasta
completamente
extendida; se ha utilizado un camion jirafa para bajar los empleados a
suelo seguro.
Como resultado el 2 de marzo de 2009 los empleados de San Lorenzo
Construction
Corp. sufrieron lesiones cuando el camion jirafa de repente colapso con
estos dentro de
la canasta golpeando fuertemente el suelo.
Un metodo viable entre otros que se pueden utilizar para corregir el
riesgo existente es:
1) Realizar inspecciones visuales y verificar las condiciones de operacion
del equipo antes
de ponerse en servicio. 2) Proveer mejor mantenimiento a diario al equipo
por un
mecanico cualificado. 3) Cumplir con las especificaciones y
recomendaciones del
manufacturero para el uso y mantenimiento del equipo. 4) Remover el equipo
que se
encuentre en condiciones inseguras e identificarlo como "fuera de
servicio".rlo

Issued

May 22, 2009

Abate by

May 28, 2009

Penalty

Initial $1,500 · Current $900 Reduced

Issued

May 22, 2009

Abate by

Apr 16, 2009

Penalty

Initial $1,200 · Current $720 Reduced

Issued

May 22, 2009

Abate by

May 28, 2009

Penalty

Initial $2,400 · Current $1,920 Reduced

Issued

May 22, 2009

Abate by

May 28, 2009

Penalty

Initial $1,800 · Current $1,440 Reduced