OSHA Cites U.S. Army Base in Alaska, Again
OSHA has cited the U.S. Army for eight alleged serious safety violations and seven repeat violations at Fort Richardson's Directorate of Public Works near Anchorage, Alaska. The agency's inspection found alleged serious violations involving: lack of forklift training; improper grinding wheel maintenance; lack of inspection on high voltage poles; lack of assessment and use of electrical personal protective equipment; open electrical wiring; and lack of annual safety inspections to correct hazardous conditions.
Previously, OSHA had cited the U.S. Army for violations at Fort Richardson involving hazards on walking working surfaces, exit signs missing in the power plant, personal protective equipment hazards, lack of mounted fire extinguishers, modification of forklift forks without manufacturer's approval, vertical shafts on water pumps that were not guarded, and electrical deficiencies.
"The Directorate of Public Works at Fort Richardson needs to upgrade its safety and health program so that a system is put in place to identify serious hazards, and then to correct or eliminate them," said Richard S. Terrill, regional administrator for OSHA in Seattle. "It is particularly disturbing that we found a number of serious violations of a repeated nature; that is to say, they have been identified in the past but continue to exist. This situation does not indicate an effective program is in place."