WEST COAST ARBORISTS, INC.

46 COR 40-8145 [¶22,933R]

GENERAL PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AND STRUCTURES ORDERS – INJURY AND ILLNESS PREVENTION PROGRAM (IIPP), REQUIREMENT TO IDENTIFY PERSON(S) WITH AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPLEMENTING Cal. Code Regs, tit. 8, § 3203(a)(1) (2019) – Employer’s IIPP failed to identify individual members of safety and training teams and committees by name or other reasonably specific identifier. Moreover, while the IIPP discussed safety meetings, safety committee and various rules related to safe work, it provided no any procedures for correction of unsafe or unhealthy conditions, practices, and procedures, which was required as part of the written program. GENERAL PLANT EQUIPMENT AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS – TREE WORK, MAINTENANCE OR REMOVAL, MOBILE EQUIPMENT, BRUSH CHIPPERS, ROTARY DRUM OR DISK-TYPE BRUSH CHIPPERS FED FROM SIDE OF CENTERLINE Cal. Code Regs, tit. 8, § 3424(c)(7) (2019) – The Division established that an employee fed a brush chipper while crossing the centerline, a serious violation. Photographic evidence showed an employee feeding the chipper from the centerline, rather than either side of that centerline, in violation of the safety order. GENERAL PLANT EQUIPMENT AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS – TREE WORK, MAINTENANCE OR REMOVAL, MOBILE EQUIPMENT, BRUSH CHIPPERS, BODY PARTS NEVER PLACED ON FEED TABLE WHILE BRUSH CHIPPER IN OPERATION OR ROTOR TURNING Cal. Code Regs, tit. 8, § 3424(c)(8) (2019) – The Division established that an employee placed his hands and other body parts on the feed table while a brush chipper was in operation or the rotor was turning, a serious violation. While the Division inspector’s testimony regarding the definition of the centerline may have been contradictory and properly disregarded, his account of what he observed during the inspection was credible and unrefuted.

Digest of COSHAB’s Denial of Petition for Reconsideration dated April 26, 2019, Inspection No. 1180192.

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