Review the Case Study presented below. After reviewing the Case Study, use the OSHA Construction Standards for Cranes and Derricks (Subpart CC) and steel erection (Subpart R) to prepare a list of regulations likely to be cited by the OSHA compliance officer investigating this incident. Make sure to provide the regulatory citation (e.g., 1926.1402(a)), the text of the regulatory citation, and why you believe the particular regulation might be cited in this case. Include the likely causes of the fatality as well.

A large general contracting firm contracted a steel erection firm to erect the structural steel for a large warehouse. The steel erection firm rented a crane with an operator to perform the lifting involved in placing the structural steel members for connecting by their employees (ironworkers). Work proceeded for the first four days of the project without incident. On the fifth day, two ironworkers died after the crane boom grazed the loosely connected structural steel, and the structural steel frame collapsed. The investigation report prepared by OSHA contained the following findings:

• The steelworkers wore personal fall arrest systems consisting of a full-body harness and a 6-foot-long lanyard with a shock absorber. They had temporarily gotten out of the man lift they were working from as they connected the joists to the steel frame and were anchored to the steel joists. A fall protection plan or approval to anchor to the joists was not in place. The height of the steel joists from the ground was 15 feet.
• The crane operator was the only person on-site from the crane company. The crane had been inspected before work on the day of the accident and had three months of monthly inspections in the cab of the crane. A third-party inspection sticker was on the door of the crane's cab but had recently expired.
• The signal person (that was signaling the crane operator) gave the operator the wrong signal, which caused the operator to "boom down" instead of "lower the load." The signal person readily admitted that he was unsure about the signals he was giving. There was no documentation on site of the signal person's training, and his employer could not produce records of training (although the employer and the signal person both indicated that training had taken place).
• After reviewing the accident scene and interviewing witnesses, the OSHA Compliance Officer discovered that a bundle of steel decking had been placed on steel joists adjacent to where the steelworkers were working before all of the bridgings had been installed and anchored and that several joist ends were loosely attached. This condition contributed to the ease with which the structural steel collapsed when the crane boom grazed the steelwork. No determination was found on file for whether the structural steel, as erected, could support the load of the decking (4,500 lbs).
• A review of the steel worker's training records revealed that no fall hazard training or training in connector procedures had been conducted by their employer.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Based on the information provided in the case study the following OSHA regulations from Subpart CC Cranes and Derricks and Subpart R Steel Erection are likely to be cited by the OSHA compliance office... View the full answer