U. S. Department of Labor

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Directorate of Science, Technology & Medicine

Office of Science and Technology Assessment

SHIB 09-08-2005

Safety and Health Information Bulletin

This Safety and Health Information Bulletin is

not a standard or regulation, and it creates no

new legal obligations. The Bulletin is advisory in

nature, informational in content, and is intended

to assist employers in providing a safe and

healthful workplace. Pursuant to the

Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers

must comply with hazard-specific safety and

health standards promulgated by OSHA or by a

state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In

addition, pursuant to Section 5(a)(1), the General

Duty Clause of the Act, employers must provide

their employees with a workplace free from

recognized hazards likely to cause death or

serious physical harm. Employers can be cited for

violating the General Duty Clause if there is a

recognized hazard and they do not take

reasonable steps to prevent or abate the hazard.

However, failure to implement any

recommendations in this Safety and Health

Information Bulletin is not, in itself, a violation of

the General Duty Clause. Citations can only be

based on standards, regulations, and the General

Duty Clause.

Hazards Associated with Transporting Granite and Marble Slabs

Purpose

The purpose of this Safety and Health Information

Bulletin is to:

1. Alert employers and employees who handle

and transport granite and marble rock slabs

to the hazards associated with handling and

transporting of slabs;

2. Remind employers that transportation

devices need to be properly designed and

maintained; and

3. Emphasize the importance of training

employees in rock slab handling

procedures.

Background

The Seattle OSHA Regional Office has been alerted

to the hazards associated with handling and

transporting granite and marble slabs. During

loading, transport, and unloading of the slabs, the

loads can shift and tip over. Workers can either be

caught in between slabs or can be struck by shifting

or falling slabs. A review of OSHA’s Integrated

Management Information System (IMIS) data

confirmed that there have been a number of worker

injuries and fatalities associated with the handling and

transporting of granite and marble slabs.

A number of companies use flatbed trucks to

transport the slabs. Rock slabs can vary in weight

from hundreds of pounds to a few thousand

pounds. An average individual truck load can

weigh between 20,000 to 40,000 pounds.

The slabs are transported vertically on storage racks

strapped to the bed of the truck. These racks can be

made of metal and/or wood. Often, these racks are

an A-frame structure (see pictures below), and the

slabs are strapped to these A-frames. The slabs are

loaded on the truck by the distributor and then

transported to their destination. The employees at the

other end off-load the slabs from the racks. Often,

the truck driver may assist in the unloading process.
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During transport, the loads can shift or the racks can

become deformed or fail. As a result, the slabs may

shift or fall while they are being unloaded.

In many cases, the A-frames have not been designed

to take into account the weight of the slabs. The Aframes also have not have been designed to prevent

shifting of other slabs if one of the slabs either shifts or

is removed.

Often, the slabs are secured using restraining

devices and/or tie-downs. When these restraining

devices or tie-downs are removed, the loads can

shift if the frame is not designed to prevent shifting.

The slabs can also shift or fall due to failure or to

improper placement of these restraining devices.

Conclusion

The following procedures will minimize the

potential hazards associated with handling and

transporting granite and marble slabs:

1. Design rock slab transportation devices to

withstand the loads and forces imposed on

them. If storage racks, other than A-frames

are used, they should be designed so that if

one or more slabs shift or are moved, the

other slabs will not be affected. This could be

accomplished by designing individual

compartments for each slab.

2. Effectively secure the storage racks to the

truck.

3. Periodically inspect and properly maintain

the storage racks.

4. Restraining devices and tie-downs, if used,

should be properly applied and removed.

The restraining devices and tie-downs

should be inspected before being applied

and prior to being removed. Restraining

devices and tie-downs that do not pass

inspection should be removed from service.

5. Implement correct loading and unloading

procedures and follow all the safety-related

work practices.

6. Train employees in the correct loading and

unloading procedures and to identify fallen

or shifted slabs that may present a hazard.

7. If employees use forklifts or other equipment

to load/unload slabs, employers must comply

with relevant OSHA provisions.

8. Truck drivers should visully check the racks

for any damage during transit.

9. Visitors/customers or other untrained

personnel should be kept away from the area

while slabs are being loaded or unloaded.
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A-frame rack used to transport rock slabs

Close-up of A-frame rack used to transport rock slabs