OSHA Inspection: PRECISION DIRECTIONAL BORING

Issued

2014-06-23 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-07-01 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $900.00 · Current $900.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.651(c)(2): A stairway, ladder, ramp or other safe means of egress was not located in trench excavations that are 4 feet (1.22 m) or more in depth so as to require no more than 25 feet (7.62 m) of lateral travel for employee:     (a) Near the north side of the Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences' Spanagel Hall:  There was no safe means of egress out of a vertical walled, 4 foot deep pit where a boring machine will be used to dig bore holes for gas lines. The pit was dug about 19 hours earlier at about 3:30 pm on June 3, 2014. There were an existing pipe and footprints visible in the bottom of the pit. Employees were in the trench to dig out around the existing pipe and to place sand around the existing pipe. Employees had to climb up 4 foot high vertical walls to exit the pit, were exposed to the hazard of falling from heights that varied up to four feet to the bottom the pit.     (b) Near the west side of the Unmanned Systems Laboratory: There was no safe means of egress out of a vertical walled, 4 foot deep pit where a boring machine will be used to dig bore holes for gas lines. There were footprints visible in the bottom of the pit. Employees were in the trench to level out the soil on the bottom. Employees had to climb up 4 foot high vertical walls to exit the pit, were exposed to the hazard of falling from heights that varied up to four feet to the bottom the pit.

Issued

2014-06-23 00:00:00

Abate by

2014-07-01 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $900.00 · Current $900.00

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.651(j)(2): Employees shall be protected from excavated or other materials or equipment that could pose a hazard by falling or rolling into excavations. Protection shall be provided by placing and keeping such materials or equipment at least 2 feet (.61 m) from the edge of excavations, or by the use of retaining devices that are sufficient to prevent materials or equipment from falling or rolling into excavations, or by a combination of both if necessary:    (a) Near the north side of the Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences' Spanagel Hall:  A spoil pile was located less than one foot from the edge of a vertical walled, 4 foot deep pit where a boring machine will be used to dig bore holes for gas lines. The spoil pile was about 3 feet high on the east side of the pit. There were large clumps of soil in the spoil pile near the pit. The pit was dug about 19 hours earlier at about 3:30 pm on June 3, 2014. There were an existing pipe and footprints visible in the bottom of the pit. Employees were in the trench to dig out around the existing pipe and to place sand around the existing pipe. Employees were exposed to the hazard of being struck by the clumps of soil in the spoil pile.    (b) Near the west side of the Unmanned Systems Laboratory:  A spoil pile was located at the edge of a vertical walled, 4 foot deep pit where a boring machine will be used to dig bore holes for gas lines. The spoil pile was about 2.5 feet high on the west side of the pit. There were footprints visible in the bottom of the pit. Employees were in the trench to level out the soil on the bottom. Employees were exposed to the hazard of being struck by the clumps of soil in the spoil pile.