A defective crane at a work site resulted in the death of a worker, according to OSHA.
The agency inspected the Vidor, TX, work site of Trans Global Solutions after a worker was pinned and killed by the crane’s boom. OSHA says the operator was unable to control the boom’s movement.
OSHA issued a willful violation for operating a defective crane and seven serious violations, including:
- failure to protect workers from crushing hazards caused by a defective crane
- chain slings didn’t have permanently affixed durable identification stating size, rated capacity and reach
- thorough periodic inspections of alloy steel chain slings weren’t made on a regular basis
- protective equipment wasn’t used whenever hazards capable of causing injury were encountered, and
- work practices weren’t employed to prevent electric shock or other injury resulting from electrical contact when work was performed near or on equipment or circuits which were or could be energized.
OSHA suggested these abatement methods to correct the willful violation:
- conduct daily, weekly and monthly inspections in accordance with 2011 National Crane Inspection Manual
- replace or repair defects and ensure they meet the requirement of the manfacturer’s owner’s manual
- ensure that installation and modification is in compliance with crane manufacturer, and
- ensure that operators are qualified to operate crane in accordance with manufacturer’s operator’s manual.
“It is the employer’s responsibility to find and fix hazards in the workplace,” said Mark Briggs, OSHA’s area director in the Houston South office.
Trans Global employs about 700 workers.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the violations to accept them, enter into informal settlement discussions with OSHA, or appeal them to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
