Informer - Feature Article


OSHA RECOMMENDS PROTECTIVE MEASURES FOR OUTDOOR WORKERS EXPOSED TO UV RADIATION To help protect outdoor workers exposed to sunlight, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued suggestions to safeguard employees from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. OSHA's pocket card on harmful sun exposure recommends that workers who spend time outdoors protect themselves from UV radiation by wearing protective clothing that does not transmit visible light; broad-brimmed hats that protect the face, ears and neck; and UV ray-blocking sunglasses. Workers also should frequently apply sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of 15 or higher, and seek shade, if possible, when the sun's intensity is at its peak–between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunlight is the main source of UV radiation, which can cause eye damage, premature aging of the skin, and skin cancers, such as melanoma. Melanoma accounts for more than three-fourths of skin cancer-related deaths each year, though most skin cancers can be cured if detected early enough. Skin cancers and deaths resulting from melanoma are increasing rapidly in the U.S. even though fewer cases of most other cancers are being reported. Unprotected employees working in sunlight risk exposure to UV radiation. Outdoor workers with fair skin and hair, freckles, or numerous or irregular moles are especially susceptible to sun damage. Even a few serious sunburns can increase the risk of skin cancer. The pocket card is not a new standard or regulation, and it creates no legal obligations. It is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to provide safety advice to outdoor workers. The pocket card is available at the OSHA website (www.osha.gov) under publications orfrom the OSHA Publications Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3101, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20210. Further information is also available from the American Cancer Society website (www.cancer.org) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website (www.cdc.gov/ChooseYourCover). TWO WORKERS KILLED IN AERIAL LIFT ACCIDENT On February 2, 2000, the steel structure of a multi-story steam generator unit that was under construction collapsed,		landing on a crane, the boom of which in turn struck two aerial lifts being used by workers. Two workers in one of the aerial lifts were killed; the worker in the second lift and the crane operator were seriously injured. According to Clifford S. Weston, OSHA area director in Bridgeport, the inspection found that Black & Veatch Construction, Inc., the Missouri-based contractor responsible for the erection of the generator unit, did not follow the established erection procedures for the unit. Specifically, temporary diagonal bracing that was being used to support the unit during its erection had been removed prematurely, thus compromising the unit's stability. This in turn left employees working adjacent to the unstable unit exposed to crushing and traumatic injuries from the potential collapse of the unstable structure. "The inspection found that the diagonal bracing was removed earlier than the erection procedures called for, leaving the structure vulnerable to collapse," said Weston. "If proper erection procedures had been adhered to, this structure would not have collapsed. "As a result, OSHA is citing Black & Veatch for a serious violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act for allegedly exposing employees to the hazards of crushing and traumatic injuries and proposing a fine of $7,000, the maximum fine that can be proposed under law for a serious violation." A serious violation is defined by OSHA as one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. Weston noted that one feasible method of abating the cited hazard would be to follow structural erection procedures and, in the event of a necessary deviation from those procedures, have an engineer or an individual knowledgeable in structural engineering first properly evaluate the deviation to consider its impact on the structure's stability. Black and Veatch has 15 working days from receipt of the citation and proposed penalties to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The employer did not follow the erection procedures for the Heat Recovery Steam Generator Unit #1, Low Pressure. The removal of the diagonal bracing prior to the installation of casing compromised the stability of the structure which collapsed on February 2, 2000.

OSHA RECOMMENDS PROTECTIVE MEASURES FOR OUTDOOR WORKERS EXPOSED TO UV RADIATION

To help protect outdoor workers exposed to sunlight, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued suggestions to safeguard employees from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

OSHA's pocket card on harmful sun exposure recommends that workers who spend time outdoors protect themselves from UV radiation by wearing protective clothing that does not transmit visible light; broad-brimmed hats that protect the face, ears and neck; and UV ray-blocking sunglasses. Workers also should frequently apply sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of 15 or higher, and seek shade, if possible, when the sun's intensity is at its peak–between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Sunlight is the main source of UV radiation, which can cause eye damage, premature aging of the skin, and skin cancers, such as melanoma. Melanoma accounts for more than three-fourths of skin cancer-related deaths each year, though most skin cancers can be cured if detected early enough. Skin cancers and deaths resulting from melanoma are increasing rapidly in the U.S. even though fewer cases of most other cancers are being reported.

Unprotected employees working in sunlight risk exposure to UV radiation. Outdoor workers with fair skin and hair, freckles, or numerous or irregular moles are especially susceptible to sun damage. Even a few serious sunburns can increase the risk of skin cancer.

The pocket card is not a new standard or regulation, and it creates no legal obligations. It is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to provide safety advice to outdoor workers.

The pocket card is available at the OSHA website (www.osha.gov) under publications orfrom the OSHA Publications Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3101, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20210. Further information is also available from the American Cancer Society website (www.cancer.org) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website (www.cdc.gov/ChooseYourCover).

TWO WORKERS KILLED IN AERIAL LIFT ACCIDENT

On February 2, 2000, the steel structure of a multi-story steam generator unit that was under construction collapsed,

landing on a crane, the boom of which in turn struck two aerial lifts being used by workers. Two workers in one of the aerial lifts were killed; the worker in the second lift and the crane operator were seriously injured.

According to Clifford S. Weston, OSHA area director in Bridgeport, the inspection found that Black & Veatch Construction, Inc., the Missouri-based contractor responsible for the erection of the generator unit, did not follow the established erection procedures for the unit.

Specifically, temporary diagonal bracing that was being used to support the unit during its erection had been removed prematurely, thus compromising the unit's stability. This in turn left employees working adjacent to the unstable unit exposed to crushing and traumatic injuries from the potential collapse of the unstable structure.

"The inspection found that the diagonal bracing was removed earlier than the erection procedures called for, leaving the structure vulnerable to collapse," said Weston. "If proper erection procedures had been adhered to, this structure would not have collapsed.

"As a result, OSHA is citing Black & Veatch for a serious violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act for allegedly exposing employees to the hazards of crushing and traumatic injuries and proposing a fine of $7,000, the maximum fine that can be proposed under law for a serious violation."

A serious violation is defined by OSHA as one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.

Weston noted that one feasible method of abating the cited hazard would be to follow structural erection procedures and, in the event of a necessary deviation from those procedures, have an engineer or an individual knowledgeable in structural engineering first properly evaluate the deviation to consider its impact on the structure's stability.

Black and Veatch has 15 working days from receipt of the citation and proposed penalties

to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

The employer did not follow the erection procedures for the Heat Recovery Steam Generator Unit #1, Low Pressure. The removal of the diagonal bracing prior to the installation of casing compromised the stability of the structure which collapsed on February 2, 2000.