OSHA Standards?

You are a private Safety & Health Consultant, who retains clients in the mid-western portion of the United States, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Question #1 – Bob’s Boats (36 Points):

You received a phone call from Daniel Driver, the Facilities Manager of Bob’s Boats, which is a facility that manufactures recreational boats for personal use. Daniel Driver explained that the facility maintained an outdoor underground holding tank, which served to collect the water from an outdoor wash-bay located outside of the facility. Daniel Driver stated that over the winter months, the outdoor wash-bay was not used, and the underground holding tank sat idle. Daniel Driver stated that in the spring, before the outdoor wash-bay was used, employees would access the underground holding-tank using the ladderway, and perform an inspection of the underground holding tank prior to using the outdoor wash-bay. Daniel Driver stated that the underground holding tank was shaped like a rectangular “box” that was 25-Feet in Length, 15-Feet in Width, and 6-Feet in Heighth. Daniel Driver stated that the “ceiling” of the underground holding tank was located five-feet below ground-level.

Daniel Driver stated that the underground holding tank was accessible only by a ladderway, which consisted of a cylinder-shaped passage that led vertically from ground-level and down into the underground holding tank. Daniel Driver stated that an individual-rung ladder was mounted to the side of the ladderway, which consisted of nine rungs, each of which were 12-inches in width, spaced vertically 14-inches apart, and located 4-inches from the wall-surface of the ladder-way (See Photo #1).

Daniel Driver subsequently stated that there was a large wasp-nest attached to the ceiling of the underground holding-tank that had been there “for at least a couple of months”. Daniel Driver stated that yesterday, he assigned one of his employees (“Eddie”) to climb down the ladderway to inspect the underground holding tank. Daniel Driver stated that a short time after Eddie had gone outside to enter the underground holding tank, Eddie began screaming incoherently over the radio. Daniel Driver stated that upon arriving to the entrance to the ladderway, he observed Eddie crouched at the bottom of the ladderway amongst a swarm of wasps. Daniel Driver stated that he quickly climbed down the ladderway, assisted Eddie out of the ladderway, and transported Eddie to the hospital for medical treatment associated with multiple “wasp” stings. Daniel Driver stated that Eddie was kept overnight at the hospital for allergic and reactive complications associated with the stings, but was due to make a full recovery.