OSHA Inspection: THE BECK GROUP

Issued

Apr 15, 2016

Abate by

May 11, 2016

Penalty

Initial $4,250 · Current $3,186 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2): The employer did not instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his/her environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury:    (a)  The Beck Group, at 1250 Cherokee Street, Denver, CO 80204: On and before November 24, 2015, the creating and controlling employer did not instruct each employee to eliminate exposure for employees working within the swing radius of a bucket.  A subcontractor employee was rigging a load for a crane pickup, and was working within the swing radius of a Bobcat mini-excavator trackhoe model E45 - 835254.  A Beck Group employee was conducting ground clearance operations, and was travelling the Bobcat (moving its tracks) with the bucket extended.  The movement of the Bobcat tracks, along with contributing wet ground conditions, caused the extended bucket to strike the subcontractor employee while he was rigging.  The subcontractor employee was pinned between the bucket and a cement barrier.  The employer failed to instruct its employees and subcontractor employees to eliminate the unsafe conditions and employee exposure.  Condition exposed a subcontractor employee to struck-by and caught in-between hazards.          Abatement note:  Feasible means of abatement include training to 1)  Retract the hydraulic arm and bucket prior to travelling;  2) sequence the job tasks to eliminate employee exposure;  3)  set up barriers between the travelling equipment and employees;  4) use a spotter to warn the operator when the equipment is approaching a safe work zone of the employees.