Opinion ID: 1320392
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: specific unsafe working condition

Text: The appellant alleged two specific unsafe working conditions which presented a high degree of risk and a strong probability of serious injury: (1) that the five steel beams, or girders, were not safely stored in the storage area, in that they were not properly braced to keep them from falling and (2) that the boom crane that was used to move the beams was in a defective condition and was not the proper equipment to be used for this job. W.Va.Code, 23-4-2(c)(2)(ii)(A) [1991]. While the trial court recognized that bridge construction is, by its nature, dangerous work, it indicated that the evidence failed to establish that a specific unsafe working condition existed which caused the appellant's injury. Upon review of the evidence concerning the storage of the beams as well as the condition and use of the boom crane, we disagree with the trial court's finding that there was no specific unsafe working condition. At trial, the appellant presented the expert testimony of Perry Jones, former safety compliance officer and area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Charleston, West Virginia. Mr. Jones reviewed the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) [10] investigation report of the appellant's accident from which he opined that the appellee had violated 29 C.F.R. § 1926.250(b)(9) (1993), [11] which requires that steel beams, or girders, which are being stored, be blocked or braced so as to prevent tilting, slipping or moving. At the appellee's job site, the beams were braced with timbers only on the outer side of the outermost beams, thus, tending to prevent only the two outside beams from falling away from the center of the stack. It was one of the interior beams which had no bracing of any kind applied to it that fell on the appellant. [12] According to Mr. Jones, had the beams been adequately blocked and braced, the appellant would not have been injured. Similarly, Steven Cooper, Safety Director for the Iron Workers International Union of North America and former employee of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, D.C., testified that he, too, believed that the appellee's failure to properly brace the stored beams violated 29 CFR § 1926.250(b)(9) (1993). Mr. Cooper based his opinion on the MOSH report, the affidavits of Mr. Lesher and Mr. Singleton, the appellant's co-workers, and the appellant's deposition. In addition, John McMahan, Executive Director of the Institute of the Iron Working Industry, testified that it is industry practice, when storing steel beams, or girders, to unload the steel, shore it and brace it so that it will not fall over at the job site. Mr. McMahan further testified that the ideal way to store steel is to have it shipped to the job site in the proper sequence so that it may be moved to the staging area in that order. Mr. McMahan also indicated that the beams should have been spaced such that there would have been sufficient room to brace each beam individually. The appellant also elicited testimony from Mr. Jones and Mr. Cooper concerning the condition of the boom crane used to move the steel beams. Both witnesses testified that the condition of the crane violated 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550 (1993). Mr. Jones also testified that this crane was not the proper equipment to be used for moving the steel beams. According to Mr. Jones, the appellee violated 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550(a)(1) (1993), which requires the appellee to: [C]omply with the manufacturer's specifications and limitations applicable to the operation of any and all cranes and derricks. Where manufacturer's specifications are not available, the limitations assigned to the equipment shall be based on the determinations of a qualified engineer competent in this field and such determinations will be appropriately documented and recorded.... Mr. Jones further opined that the appellee violated 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550(a)(2), which provides that [r]ated load capacities, and recommended operating speeds, special hazard warnings, or instruction, shall be conspicuously posted on all equipment. Instructions or warnings shall be visible to the operator while he is at his control station. Finally, Mr. Jones testified that the appellee violated 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550(a)(5) and (g) (1993) concerning inspections of the equipment. 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550(a)(5) (1993) provides [t]he employer shall designate a competent person who shall inspect all machinery and equipment prior to each use, and during use, to make sure it is in safe operating condition. Any deficiencies shall be repaired, or defective parts replaced, before continued use. Finally, 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550(a)(6) (1993) provides [a] thorough, annual inspection of the hoisting machinery shall be made by a competent person, or by a government or private agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The employer shall maintain a record of the dates and results of inspections for each hoisting machine and piece of equipment. According to Mr. Jones, the defects in the crane would have been discovered by a daily inspection by a competent person and such defects could have been corrected. Furthermore, the crane operator would have no way of knowing if the crane was being overloaded with the nine and one-half ton beams because the crane had been modified without the manufacturer's approval. Finally, nothing had been done to the crane to change the capacity or to limit the extension of the boom and the weight being carried. Furthermore, it was Mr. Cooper's opinion that, not only did the condition of the crane violate 29 C.F.R. 1926.550, but the boom also was faulty and should not have been used at all until it was taken out of service to ensure that it would not fall again.