Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: LIFTING

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: 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 serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to falling loads and/or falling hoist/crane parts: (a)Roof Department - Employees used an underhung crane and monorail system with underhung hoists and a below-the-hook lifting device to move roof units. Three bridge girders each with an underhung hoist traveled on the underhung crane rails to move the roof units north to south, from the ceiling pits to the modular home assembly line. Employees also used the three hoists on the three bridge girders to move roof units west to east, from the roof jig to the ceiling pits, by interlocking the three bridge girders to fixed monorail tracks located to the east and to the west of the underhung crane rails. Neither end of the three bridge girders nor the east ends of the fixed monorail tracks located to the west of the underhung crane nor the west ends of the fixed monorails tracks located to the east of the underhung crane had stops to prevent the hoists from running off the ends of these rails. On May 6, 2008, after setting a roof unit onto a modular home, an employee moved the underhung crane north back to the ceiling pit area. Without having the bridge girders lined up with and interlocked to the fixed monorail tracks located to the east and to the west of the underhung crane rails, the employee moved the hoists east and, because none of the three bridge girders had stops at either end, the hoists ran off the east end of the bridge girders, dropping the 2,800-pound below-the-hook lifting device, used for attaching roof units to the three hoists, onto the employee. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct the hazard includes, providing stops at open ends of tracks to prevent carriers from inadvertently coming off the track as required in the American National Standard for Monorails and Underhung Cranes, ASME B30.11, 2004 edition, paragraph 11-1.3.1(g).