Aurora OSHA Construction News

US Department of Labor North Aurora, IL Area Trenching Still A Concern Office

hy do knowledge- A protective W able people choose system must not to use cave-in pro- be used if an tection? Lately, the an- excavation is Volume 3, Issue 2 swer from employers is 5 feet or Fall 2002 that cave-in protection greater in would have been depth. The “inconvenient” to use. three most commonly While some of you know used kinds of that is not what you protective sys- want to tell an OSHA tems are: Compliance Officer, one shoring , employer actually said: shielding, Luckily, this worker made it out of the “If the box (trench box) and sloping. trench alive. would have fit--we would have used it”. Each of these protective protection because of systems are acceptable convenience. We are finding more and to OSHA; it is up to the more trenching contrac- competent person to de- Due to the serious haz- tors not in compliance termine which method ards involved, and the with the trenching stan- will be most effective for fact that most contrac- dards. In fact, lack of the job. (See page 5 for tors we inspect are not cave-in protection was more on protective in compliance, most of the #2 cited violation systems). this newsletter will be this past year. devoted to trenching It is not acceptable (or hazards and corrective legal) to not use cave-in methods. Inside this issue:

Construction Partnership Signed Combined Rescue 2 Drill a Success A partnership to reduce Apprenticeship and Members of the RCEC injuries, illnesses and Training Program. will be encouraged to Did You Know? 2 deaths in the hazardous participate in programs residential construction The partnership will such as Consultation's industry was signed by provide members with Safety and Health Fatalities and 3 the Occupational Safety information and guid- Achievement Recogni- Injuries in Illinois and Health Administra- ance that will help en- tion Program (SHARP) tion (OSHA), the On- hance employee safety and the Voluntary Pro- Most Frequently Cited 4 Site Safety and Health programs, including tection Program (VPP). Consultation Program of ways to minimize haz- Top Ten Reasons for 4 Illinois (DCCA), the ards from falls. Mem- A team of representa- Noncompliance Residential Construc- bers will work together tives from the agencies Protective Systems for 5 tion Employers Council to develop training on will meet regularly to Trenches (RCEC) and the North- safety and health issues set goals and objectives east Illinois District specifically aimed at and track progress. Trenching and the 6 Council of Carpenters residential construction. Competent Person Volume 3, Issue 2 Page 2 Combined Rescue Drill a Success

The technical rescue teams of needs of special rescues in the area. Aurora, North Aurora and Batavia According to Assistant Chief Mark Fire Departments came together this Bozik, the combined team is capable October in front of the Home Depot of handling such incidents as trench on Orchard Road for what appeared rescues, building collapses, confined to be a construction accident. Fortu- space rescues, elevated or rope res- nately, it was a preplanned trench cues, and mass casualty incidents. rescue drill to test the skills and abilities of the three fire departments “The combined team is 1 of only 14 technical rescue teams. teams that is recognized by the State for technical rescue” Bozik says. “The According to Lt. Mark Lockwood, co- team could be called anywhere in the ordinator of Aurora’s rescue team, State in the event of a major inci- the three departments’ train together dent. Residents should be proud that on a quarterly basis on different tech- rescuers become victims because this highly trained team is in their nical rescue disciplines. “The joint proper safety procedures are not community.” training allows us to be well pre- followed” Lockwood says.” It seems pared in the event of an actual inci- like it takes a long time, but we dent,” Lockwood says. must follow the safety procedures to protect the rescuers and the victim Crews simulated that a construction from further injury.” crew was digging a hole when part of the earth wall collapsed on a victim. The team practiced several different The technical rescue teams used spe- scenarios from 8 a.m. to noon. The cialized equipment that was placed Home Depot site was chosen be- in the hole to prevent more dirt from cause of their extensive help in falling on the victim. Rescue workers developing a disaster and recovery then entered the protected area, plan with the technical rescue team. treated the victim, and removed the victim using rope rescue equipment. The joint rescue team was estab- “Sixty-five percent of all would be lished 2 years ago to address the

Did You Know?

STEEL ERECTION E--TOOL U.S. v WALTER MARBLE an individual killed in a trench collapse on November 4, 1999 was working as an in- Despite be- Federal District Court issued its sentenc- dependent contractor or was an employee. ing covered ing order in this criminal prosecution of since 1971 the owner of a construction company LE MYERS CO. INDICTED IN DEATHS OF under the who made false statements to OSHA in- TWO WORKERS original steel spectors and furnished false documents erection to cover up the fact that he in fact em- This December an electrical contracting standard, ployed a worker who was killed at a job- firm and its parent company were indicted America's site. Following a plea agreement entered in connection with the deaths of two em- 56,000 steel last August, the court sentenced Walter ployees working on high-voltage lines three erectors con- Marble to fivefive monthsmonths confinementconfinement withwith years ago. The misdemeanor charges al- tinued to thethe BurBureau of Prisons to be followed by lege the L.E. Myers Co. and it parent, MYR suffer 35 five months home confinement and two Group Inc., both based in Rolling Meadows, fatal accidents per year, a rate of one years of supervised release. Marble was willfully failed to properly train and super- death per 1,600 workers. OSHA esti- also fined $3,000 and assessed costs of vise the workers, who were killed in sepa- mates that 30 of those deaths, as well as $100. Mr. Marble plead guilty to one rate incidents in suburban Chicago. nearly 1,150 annual lost-workday inju- count of corruptly obstructing the due ries, will be eliminated by compliance administration of the law in an OSHA The companies were charged with two with provisions of the new standard, de- investigation by causing a false contract, counts each—one for each death—of veloped with industry and labor through a false invoice, and a letter containing allegedly violating Occupational Safety and negotiated rulemaking. This eTool has false statements to be submitted to Health Administration regulations. If been created to educate employers and OSHA for the purpose of corruptly influ- convicted, the two companies face fines of workers about the revised standard. encing OSHA's determination of whether up to $2 million and a maximum of 5 years of probation. Volume 3, Issue 2 Page 3 Fatalities and Injuries in Illinois

The following is a synopsis of some of working on a two point suspen- · A 36 year-old construction the accidents we investigated during sion scaffold 15 feet from ground worker died after falling 12-13 the past few months: level. The left side of the scaf- feet from a sling. A 14 foot long fold broke from off from the synthetic web sling was attached · Three employees were in the parapet on the roof. The worker to the guardrail of aerial lift. The process of dismantling a Morgan fell and hit his head and died lift was raised vertically to re- scaffold at a Rockford, Illinois from the fall. (Chicago) move the slack in the sling. The jobsite. Initially all 3 employees · A worker was trapped by a 16 worker, standing on top of the 31 were working from the platform horsepower track-mounted foot tall steel silo, stepped into that was positioned approxi- walk-behind cable plow, while the bottom loop of the sling. The mately 7 feet above grade. Two attempting to off load this ma- employee was lifted up on the of the employees vacated the chine from a Chevy Astro Van. sling and then lowered through a platform to return to the ground. The employee was trapped be- 20” x 20” opening in the top of One of the employees who was tween the machine's handlebars the silo. The employee was low- considered the competent person and the roof of the van at the ered approximately 9 feet into left to remove the ladder that rear cargo doors. The machine the silo, when two employee, was leaning against the plat- engine was started, and the standing outside the silo, heard form. The second worker who clutch and transmission engaged the employee inside the silo yell- was not being monitored began in anticipation of backing the ing, "get me out of here." The em- to remove the last set of cross- 850 lb machine down the ramp. ployees on ground level motioned braces at grade level. These The employee was discovered by for the lift operator to raise the crossbraces were the last guar- a co-worker. The engine of the employee out of the silo. As the antee of stability for the scaffold cable plow was running at half lift operator began raising the system and should not have been throttle and the rubber tracks lift, the employees on the ground removed until the worker on the were slipping on the truck bed. heard a thump inside the silo. platform reconnected the cross- Initial attempts to free the dece- The employee inside the silo had braces at platform level. When dent failed. (Waukegan) fallen 12 - 13 feet off the sling to the unaccounted for worker at · A 21 year-old construction la- the bottom of the silo. (Orion) ground level had removed one of borer was killed while working · Employees were preparing to the connection points for the on a second story addition to a perform abrasive blasting work. crossbraces the scaffold platform residence. The walls had been The employees were instructed collapsed throwing the lone erected and the roof was being by the site foreman to don their worker on the platform to the framed. Two sheets of plywood type CE abrasive blast respira- ground where he suffered a com- had been temporarily nailed tors. Upon the foreman’s return pound fracture of the right fore- down on top of the joists. The to the area, he found the workers arm. (Rockford) deceased walked onto the unsup- unconscious. The supplied air · A crew was installing 48" water ported portion of temporary ply- line for the respirators had been main in a trench approximately wood deck and fell to the ground connected to a plant air line la- 10' deep. There was a 8' trench when the plywood broke. beled "compressed air". After in- box in the trench for cave-in pro- (Elmwood Park) vestigating, it was found that the tection, but the North end of the · A 39 year old construction line was 99.99% nitrogen. Both trench box was not closed off. An laborer working for a masonry employees were hospitalized. employee working towards the company was working in a room (Bartonville) · Roofers were unloading shingles north end of the trench, while where a tubular frame scaffold still in the confinement of the had been erected. A scaffold leg from a boom onto the roof of a box, was struck by dirt and rocks was placed on top of an exten- residential house under con- when there was a cave-in at the sion cord. The extension cord struction. The victim was appar- north end of the trench. Loose was being used to power a indus- ently trying to step from the roof to a scaffold pick located on the dirt and rock came into the box trial fan on the opposite side of through the north end opening. the room. The weight of the front of the house when he fell The 33 year old construction la- scaffold cut through the exten- approximately twenty-two feet to borer had the wind knocked out sion cord, energizing the scaffold. the ground below. The victim of him, and was taken to the hos- As the worker attempted to re- was taken to the hospital with pital for examination. He did not enter the room, he passed fatal injuries. (Metamora) sustain any serious injuries. through the door frame and the (West Chicago) scaffold and was electrocuted. · A 35 year old self-employed (Palos Heights) worker was tuckpointing while Volume 3, Issue 2 Page 4

Most Frequently Found Hazards ~ Illinois

The “top ten” cited violations for Rank Standard Hazard construction are listed for the state of 1 1926.451(g)(1) Lack of fall protection on scaffold—over 10’ Illinois during this past fiscal year (October 2001-September 2002). 2 1926.652(a)(1) Trenches—lack of cave-in protection Lack of cave-in protection landed at 3 1926.20(b)(1) Accident prevention programs number 2 on the list, with over $350,000 in penalties issued. This 4 1926.501(b)(1) Lack of fall protection—working over 6’ was, by far, the most penalized stan- 5 1926.100(a) Hard hats not provided and/or worn dard last year. 16% of the violations were cited as “Repeat”. This means 6 1926.21(b)(2) The employer shall instruct each employee in that the company inspected had been the recognition and avoidance of unsafe con- cited for the exact same violation (or ditions and the regulations applicable to his hazard) during the past three years. work environment Another area consistently cited was 7 1926.451(e)(1) Access to scaffolds fall protection—whether from scaf- 8 Section 5(a)(1) General Duty Clause folds, roofing or residential construc- tion sites. 9 1926.451(b)(1) Scaffolds—not fully planked We will continue our emphasis in 10 1916.501(b)(10) Roofing work on low-slope roofs—no fall these areas next year. protection when over 6 feet.

Top Ten Reasons for Noncompliance

After a citation is issued, employers in a 10-foot deep trench without was OK to work on a 15-foot high frequently have an informal confer- cave-in protection). scaffold without guardrails). ence with the area director to discuss the violations. Some of the “reasons” he soil was good. for noncompliance are quite interest- T ing—and sad. Listed here are the T hat wasn’t our employee. “top ten” reasons for noncompliance. The employer is responsible for frequently and regular inspections And the number 1 reason: of the job site. Any recognized T he job was only going to take a hazards must be taken care of. minute. O SHA made us nervous.

G uardrails were ordered and on W e never used that equipment the way to the job site—we just de- (photos show employees using the cided to start work without them. equipment during the inspection).

W e have guardrails on the other I left my personal protective site. equipment in the other truck.

W e have been doing this work for O ur foreman has a lot of experi- ence and is an OSHA competent per- This is not a trench you would want 20 years and would not expose our- to be in —even with a ladder. selves to hazards. (the employee was son (then why did he tell us that it Volume 3, Issue 2 Page 5

Protective Systems for Trenches

Soil is heavy. A cubic foot can weigh timber shoring. These strutted sys- as much as 114 pounds, and a cubic tems are also referred to as active yard can weigh over 3,000 lbs.—a systems. The most frequently used little more than a Volkswagen Beetle. strutted system involves aluminum Most workers don’t realize the force hydraulic shores which are light- that will hit them when a cave-in oc- weight, re-usable and installed and curs. A person buried under only a removed completely from above few feet of soil can experience enough ground. pressure in the chest area to prevent the lungs from expanding. Suffoca- A shield, also known as a trench tion can take place in as little as box, is another common protective three minutes. Heavier soils can system used by contractors. Trench A shoring system could have been used in this trench to protect the workers. crush the body in a matter of sec- boxes are not designed to prevent onds. cave-ins, but rather serve to "shield" workers within the structure should Protective systems are methods of a cave-in occur. This is an excellent box is positioned for the work, protecting workers from cave-ins of choice when placing continuous in- the voids between the box and material that can fall or roll into an stallations, as in pipe laying The box the trench wall should be filled excavation, or from the collapse of is placed in the trench and dragged with excavated material to pre- nearby structures. If an excavation is along with the progress of the work. vent displacement caused by a less than 5 feet deep, OSHA does not A few important points about shields: cave-in. require a protective systems unless · Shielding should always be used the competent person sees signs of · Personnel should be out of the according to manufacturer’s a potential cave-in. (It is important box and above ground when the tabulated data. to remember that a wall collapse in a shield is being moved. You could trench four and 1/2 feet deep can still be caught between the moving have serious results!) box and fixed object(s); With both shoring and shielding, · The top of the shield should ex- workers are only protected as long For trenches between 5 feet and 20 tend at least eighteen (18) inches as they stay within the confines feet deep, shoring and sheeting, above the level of any materials of the system. shielding, sloping and benching that could cave or roll into the are all acceptable protective meas- trench; Sloping and benching are another ures. It is up to the planners of the · Some shields are designed to be means of protecting workers from construction project and the compe- stacked, one on top of another. cave-in hazards. Sloping is a method tent person on site to determine Never stack shields that are not of cutting back the trench walls at which systems will work best. If an designed for that purpose, and such an angle that there is little excavation is greater than 20 feet do not stack shields from differ- chance of collapse. This is referred to deep, a registered professional en- ent manufacturers, as they may as an "angle of repose", and must be gineer must design the protective not be compatible. suitable to the type of soil. system. · The forces of a cave-in can liter- ally push a box sideways, caus- There are very few applications Shoring systems are structures of ing a crushing hazard. After a where sloping and/or benching can be timber, mechanical, or hydraulic sys- used. Why? The lack of available tems that support the sides of an ex- space. Many excavations are dug in cavation and which are designed to right-of-ways where the presence of prevent cave-ins. Sheeting is a type other utilities and traffic become ma- of shoring system that keeps the jor considerations. If the location to earth in position. It can be driven be excavated has been previously dis- into the ground or work in conjunc- turbed, as it frequently is along a tion with a shoring system. Driven right-of-way, the soil type will very sheeting is most frequently used for likely be classified as “C”. With Type excavations open for long periods of C soil, the excavation walls must be time. Another type of sheeting, in sloped back on each side of the exca- which plates or shoring grade ply- vation one and one-half feet for every wood (sometimes called Finland foot of depth. form) is used in conjunction with strutted systems such as hydraulic or A trench box is being used—but what is wrong with this picture? Hint-what would happen if the soil on top collapsed? US Department of Labor The North Aurora Illinois Area Office publishes the AURORA North Aurora, IL Area Office OSHA CONSTRUCTION NEWS. Readers are encouraged to Occupational Safety & Health Administration North Aurora Area Office submit suggestions or questions to: 344 Smoke Tree Business Park North Aurora, IL 60542 Nancy M. Quick, CSP, CIH Phone: 630-896-8700 Fax: 630-892-2160 [email protected]

This newsletter provides a generic, non-exhaustive overview of The North Aurora Area Office OSHA standards-related topics. This newsletter does not itself alter “Serving Northwest Illinois” or determine compliance responsibilities, which are set forth in OSHA standards themselves and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

Additional safety measures may be required by your facility under certain conditions or circumstances. Professional advice should be sought for specific situations.

Trenching and the Competent Person

Pre-job planning is vital to accident- derground lines, plan for traffic lines or storage tanks. Insure ade- free trenching. Safety cannot be control if necessary, determine quate ventilation or respiratory improvised as work progresses. proximity to structures that could equipment if necessary. affect choice of protective systems à Provide safe access into and out of Regardless of the depth of the exca- à Test for low oxygen, hazardous the excavation. vation, OSHA requires a competent fumes and toxic gases, especially à Provide appropriate protections if person to inspect conditions at when gasoline engine-driven water accumulation is a the site on a daily basis. Inspec- equipment is running, or the dirt problem. tions must be made as frequently has been contaminated by leaking à Inspect the site daily at the start as necessary during the of each shift, following a rain- progress of work, to storm, or after any other hazard- assure that the hazards increasing event. associated with excava- à Keep excavations open the mini- tions are eliminated, before workers are al- mum amount of time needed to lowed to enter the trench. complete operations.

The following concerns must be addressed by a competent Should a third-party be required to stop work, or the designated compe- person: tent person does not halt unsafe acts

à Evaluate soil conditions and conditions, this individual is not acting "competently" within the and select appropriate pro- meaning of the standard. tective systems.

à Construct protective sys-

tems in accordance with the standard require- ments. à Preplan; contact utilities Yes —this is a violation. The excavation is undercutting (gas, electric) to locate un- the street and the front end loader only adds to the problem.