MEC&F Expert Engineers

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Fatal Falls Prompt Cal/OSHA to Cite Bay Area Construction Firm – Man-Baskets are Inherently Unsafe



Fatal Falls Prompt Cal/OSHA to Cite Bay Area Construction Firm – Man-Baskets are Inherently Unsafe


Nov 25, 2014
The two male workers — of Disney Construction in San Francisco — were working on a new footing bridge for the Putah Creek Bridge.
Officials said a basket the pair was in fell from the crane just before 7 a.m. and landed on some wood that was covering a 30-foot hole running along the bank of the river where the bridge was being constructed.
Marcus Zane Powell, 25, Glenn Hodgson, 49, died when they fell 80 feet from a crane-hoisted platform at a bridge-construction site in Winters, Calif.
Cal/OSHA has cited Burlingame, Calif.-based Disney Construction Inc. for serious violations that allegedly contributed to the May 30 deaths of two workers.
Marcus Zane Powell, 25, and Glenn Hodgson, 49, died when they fell 80 feet from a crane-hoisted platform at a bridge-construction site in Winters, Calif.  
Cal/OSHA has issued $106,110 in fines for serious safety violations.
In an investigation of the fatal accident, Cal/OSHA’s Sacramento District Office concluded that Disney Construction’s crane had not been certified or visually inspected for defects to meet current testing and examination standards.


The agency also determined that the crane operator failed to perform an unmanned trial run or have a competent person inspect the rigging and platform before usage, and that there was no qualified, trained signal person to assist with the lifting operation.
“Employers in California are required to perform regular equipment inspections to identify and prevent mechanical problems that can lead to tragedy,” said Christine Baker, director of the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees Cal/OSHA.
Disney Construction was hired to build a new concrete bridge to connect the city of Winters in Yolo County to Solano County across Putah Creek.
The men had been working out of a basket attached to a crane.  It was a special kind of basket -- commonly referred to as a man basket -- that is frequently used at construction sites. The men plummeted a great distance to the ground after the basket completely crashed to the ground. According to the Fire Chief at the Winters Fire Department, fire crews arrived on scene to find the men deceased. The remains of the two victims were recovered later, the same day as the accident.


Workers were using a pile-driver crane when a cable broke near the top of a pile driver.  A second crane was used to hoist a personnel platform carrying Powell and Hodgson so they could troubleshoot the cable on the pile driver.  The rigging used to connect the platform to the crane dislodged, causing the platform and workers to fall some 80 feet to the ground, according to Cal/OSHA.
“Specific regulations are in place to operate cranes safely. This incident is a sobering reminder of the tragedies that can occur when safety protocols are not followed,” said Acting Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum.
Cal/OSHA also cited Disney Construction for not thoroughly surveying the conditions of the worksite for predictable employee hazards and neglecting to implement the necessary safeguards required to perform this type of operation.    
Position of Metropolitan regarding Lifting Persons with Mobile Crane


Mobile cranes shall never be used for entertainment purposes, e.g. lifting of persons for shows, bungee jumping, dinner-in-the-sky or lifting of other structures with people on the structure or underneath (e.g. lifting of tents)
Mobile cranes are not intended to lift persons; they may be used to hoist and suspend personnel in man baskets only in unique work situations when it is the least hazardous way to do the job. Platforms fixed to crane booms for lifting of persons are not included herewith, as they are covered by international standards for mobile elevated work platforms.
This exceptional use is permitted only if all of the following requirements are fulfilled under the responsibility of the user:
General
  • The use of mobile cranes for lifting of persons is permitted by national law in the country of current operation. Specific provisions for the use of man baskets as stipulated by national law are applied.
  • The use of the crane for lifting of persons is reported to the national health and safety authority, if needed by national law (the use may need special approval).
  • The possibility to rescue people in the basket in cases of emergency has been evaluated prior to the job by means of a job-specific risk assessment. Provisions for emergency rescue have to be taken if stipulated by national law.
  • A pre-lift meeting has been held involving all relevant people.
  • The provisions for work in the vicinity of power lines according to the job-site conditions and national law/regulations are observed.

Equipment
  • With the exception of the man basket being the load, the crane is used as intended and described in the respective operating manual.
  • The crane is checked and no damages are found prior to lifting persons. The man basket is fulfilling the requirements according to national law and/or standards and is used as intended.
  • The man basket is checked thoroughly, no defects are found prior to lifting persons.
  • Any emergency rescue device, if required by national law, has been checked and found to be operational.
  • Hooks used must be of a type that uses a latch eliminating the throat opening. According to national law it is required either to close and lock manually or to use a latch automatically closing operated by a spring.


Tests Prior to Use
  • Before lifting personnel, an overload test lift (proof test) with an overload of 125% of the rated capacity of the basket has been performed at each new construction site and after each modification or repair to verify the performance of basket and lifting attachment (re-location of a crane with basket on a bigger construction site does not create the need for additional overload testing).
  • Before lifting personnel, a trial lift with the unoccupied basket loaded at least to the anticipated lift weight to simulate the loaded basket has been performed simulating the complete planned lifting cycle. This trial lift has to be done at each set up location on a construction site where personnel handling is to be done.
Use
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CAL/OSHA CITES FUEL DISTRIBUTOR NEARLY $100,000 AFTER FATAL EXPLOSION FOR FAILURE TO TRAIN WORKERS AND TO REQUIRE SAFETY WELDING PROCEDURES





USA, CA, SAN BERNARDINO, NOVEMBER 12 2014. CAL/OSHA CITES FUEL DISTRIBUTOR NEARLY $100,000 AFTER FATAL EXPLOSION




Cal/OSHA has cited fuel distribution company National Distribution Services Inc. (NDS) $99,345 following an investigation into an explosion at the company’s Corona facility that killed one employee and left another with severe burns.  The owner of the company has been previously cited for similar incidents. 


On May 6, 2014, two employees attempted welding operations on a 9,000-gallon tanker truck containing an unknown amount of crude oil.  The tank had not been purged or tested for flammable vapors, resulting in the explosion. Samuel Enciso, 52, was a welder who had been with NDS for four years. He was found dead on the floor of the facility with his right hand and lower arm completely severed.  A second employee with five years of experience suffered burns to more than 50 percent of his body.  



Investigators from the San Bernardino Cal/OSHA District Office determined that NDS contributed to this incident by failing to have required safety procedures in place for working with flammable vapors.  Additionally, investigators found that NDS failed to train employees on the dangers of welding near combustible materials.

“California requires employers to have and adhere to an Injury and Illne
ss Prevention Program” said Christine Baker, Director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR).  Cal/OSHA, formally known as the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, is a division of DIR. “This preventable death is a reminder of what can happen when that requirement is ignored,” said Baker. 




While investigating the May 6 event, investigators learned about a previous explosion at the Corona facility that occurred under similar circumstances, and involved the same two NDS employees.  On September 25, 2012, the lid of a fuel tanker blew through the ceiling of the repair facility after the employees commenced welding on a truck filled with flammable vapors.  No injuries occurred on that date.  


“Enforcement of California safety laws sends a message to non-compliant employers,” said Juliann Sum, Acting Chief of Cal/OSHA. “You cannot cut corners when it comes to worker safety.”  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration served NDS with an emergency restriction order on August 14, prohibiting the company from using cargo tank motor vehicles.  The company appealed the order in September. 




The owner of NDS, Carl Bradley Johansson, served prison time following a previous similar incident.  In the 1990s, Johansson operated a business in Montebello known as Atlas Bulk Carriers.  On September 27, 1993 there was an explosion involving welding operations on a fuel tanker that had also not been purged or tested. This incident also took the life of a welder employed by the company. Atlas Bulk Carriers was cited by Cal/OSHA for this incident. 




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Chemical Safety Board Emphasizes Existing Resources Available on Hot Work Safety



CSB Emphasizes Existing Resources Available on Hot Work Safety

Safety Videos, Safety Bulletin and Accident Investigations Call Attention to the Hazards of Welding or Cutting Near Storage Tanks
Washington, DC, August 6, 2014 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today emphasized the hot work safety resources available free of charge through the agency’s website at www.csb.gov. The Board previously released safety videos, a safety bulletin, and accident investigations all warning of the hazards of welding, cutting, grinding, and other hot work activities in and around storage tanks containing flammable materials.
Of particular interest is the CSB’s safety video entitled “Dangers of Hot Work,” which presents key lessons from the CSB’s hot work safety bulletin, released on March 4, 2010, in Wausau, Wisconsin, near the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) facility where three workers were killed in July 2008 during a hot work-related explosion.
CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said, “The CSB has examined multiple deadly hot work accidents.  Our call to industry is to follow effective hazard analysis and combustible gas monitoring procedures when welding and cutting in and around storage tanks.  These simple steps will save many lives.”
Hot work is defined as burning, welding, or similar spark-producing operations that can ignite fires or explosions.  The CSB has conducted numerous investigations into fatal hot work accidents, with final reports which are available at the following links:
E. I. DuPont De Nemours Co. Fatal Hot Work Explosion
Partridge Raleigh Oilfield Explosion and Fire
Bethune Point Wastewater Plant Explosion
Motiva Enterprises Sulfuric Acid Tank Explosion
The CSB’s “Dangers of Hot work” safety video uses 3-D computer animations to depict three of the hot work accidents summarized in the bulletin - Partridge-Raleigh, an oil production site in Central Mississippi; the Bethune Waste Water Treatment Plant in Daytona Beach, Florida; and the Motiva Enterprises Refinery in Delaware City, Delaware.
Hot work accidents occur throughout many industries in the U.S., including food processing, pulp and paper manufacturing, oil production, fuel storage, and waste treatment.
CSB Investigations Supervisor Donald Holmstrom states in the video, “We typically hear about hot work accidents weekly. It has become one of the most significant types of incidents the CSB investigates, in terms of deaths, in terms of frequency.”
The CSB began investigating hot work hazards following a  July 17, 2001, explosion at the Motiva Enterprises refinery in Delaware City, Delaware. A work crew had been repairing a catwalk above a sulfuric acid storage tank farm when a spark from their hot work ignited flammable vapors in one of the tanks.  Following the  a July 29, 2008, accident at the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) n Tomahawk, Wisconsin - which killed three maintenance workers and injured another -  the CSB began systematically tracking hotwork incidents.  The CSB determined the explosion resulted from welding above an 80-foot-tall storage tank that contained highly flammable hydrogen gas – the product of bacterial decomposition of organic fiber waste inside the tank.
In the ten months following the explosion at Packaging Corporation, the CSB deployed investigators to five other sites where hot work ignited flammable gas or vapor, including an explosion at MAR Oil in La Rue, Ohio, that killed two contractors in October 2008; an explosion that killed one and injured another at EMC Used Oil in Miami, Florida, in December 2008; an explosion that killed a contract welder at ConAgra Foods in Boardman, Oregon, in February 2009; an explosion at A.V. Thomas Produce in Atwater, California, in March 2009 that severely burned two employees; and the explosion of a massive gasoline storage tank that killed three workers at a TEPPCO Partners fuel distribution facility in Garner, Arkansas, in May 2009.
In November of 2011 two contractors at the E. I. DuPont De Nemours Co. located in Buffalo, NY were performing welding atop a 10,000 gallon slurry tank when hot sparks ignited flammable vapors inside the tank, causing an explosion that killed one contractor and seriously injured another. The CSB’s final report and safety video entitled “Hot Work: Hidden Hazards” were released at an April 19, 2012, public meeting.  The CSB said a primary cause of the blast was the failure of the company to require that the interior of storage tanks – on which hot work is to be performed ­– be monitored for flammable vapor. A proposed recommendation urges DuPont to require monitoring the inside of storage tanks ­– and the area around tanks – before performing any hot work, which is defined as welding, cutting, grinding, or other spark-producing activities. 
Just last week there was a deadly accident in Moss Point, MS. According to media report one man was killed and three others injured while performing welding working on a tank that was supposed to be empty. The CSB is following up on this incident and is in the process of gathering additional information.
The CSB’s 2010 safety bulletin provides summaries of all the hot work incidents examined by the CSB and identifies seven key lessons aimed at preventing worker deaths during hot work in and around storage tanks containing flammable materials which include:

1. Use Alternatives – Whenever possible, avoid hot work and consider alternative methods. 
2. Analyze the Hazards – Prior to the initiation of hot work, perform a hazard assessment that identifies the scope of the work, potential hazards, and methods of hazard control.
3. Monitor the Atmosphere – Conduct effective gas monitoring in the work area using a properly calibrated combustible gas detectorprior to and during hot work activities, even in areas where a flammable atmosphere is not anticipated.
4. Test the Area – In work areas where flammable liquids and gases are stored or handled, drain and/or purge all equipment and piping before hot work is conducted.When welding on or in the vicinity of storage tanks and other containers, properly test and if necessary continu­ously monitor all surrounding tanks or adjacent spaces (not just the tank or container being worked on) for the presence of flammables and eliminate potential sources of flammables.
5. Use Written Permits – Ensure that qualified personnel familiar with the specific site hazards review and authorize all hot work and issue permits specifically identifying the work to be conducted and the required precautions.
6. Train Thoroughly – Train personnel on hot work policies/procedures, proper use and calibration of combustible gas detectors, safety equipment, and job specific hazards and controls in a language understood by the workforce.
7. Supervise Contractors – Provide safety supervision for outside contractors conducting hot work.Inform contractors about site-specific hazards including the presence of flammable materials.11

CSB videos, investigations reports and safety bulletins are available at www.csb.gov.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov.
For more information, contact Communications Manager Hillary Cohen, cell 202-446-8094 or Sandy Gilmour, Public Affairs, cell 202-251-5496.

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