Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 003 Hazard: STRUCK BY

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to a struck-by hazard: The employer did not protect employees against the struck-by hazard of potential overpressure of vacuum truck No. 402. There was no systematic safety inspection program for the vacuum truck tank equipment installed on the chassis. The cargo tank was used as a pressure vessel, and it did not have any marking on the tank for the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) to identify it as a pressure vessel in accordance with an ASME stamp, API monogram, or other authority and was not subsequently strength tested by the employer before being placed into service. Among others, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct these hazards would be to establish, implement, and document a systematic inspection and testing program to prevent catastrophic failure of the vacuum truck cargo tank and its equipments in accordance with accepted good engineering practices: a.Inspection/testing of the 2-inch safety relief valve with consideration given to the manufacturer's recommendations (if any), as referenced in the API Publication 2219 (1986), Paragraph 6.6 which states, "The cargo tank should be inspected for the following items before operation:... 4. The relief valve or valves are properly sized, installed, and inspected." b.Inspection/testing of the truck cargo tank as specified in the API Recommended Practice 54 (1992), Paragraph 8.13.1 which states, "Air receivers shall be designed, installed, and used in accordance with Section VIII of ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code (check latest edition)."