Reference no: EM131392533

An incident occurred in which a cantilevered section of a walkway under demolition fell in a bagasse warehouse area at a sugar mill, resulting in the death of a worker positioned on top of the walkway. The incident walkway was constructed of two 2.625 in. by 10 in. steel C-channel main beams spaced three feet apart with metal floor grating welded to the top of the C-channel beams. The cantilevered walkway had welded-on hand rails and was approximately three ft in width, 11 ft in length and located at a height of 40 ft from ground level. This section weighed more than 800 lbs. The worker was positioned on the cantilevered portion of the walkway cutting through the floor grating of the walkway when the cantilevered walkway section unexpectedly gave way and fell to the area below. The demolition of the walkway left one section of the walkway cantilevered and supported by the metal floor grating and by an undersized weld. Demolition proceeded without an engineering study of the structural integrity of the bagasse walkway as well as an adequate plan for demolition. A proper engineering study of the structural integrity of the bagasse warehouse walkway as well as an adequate demolition plan in reasonable engineering probability would have prevented the accident. Search the OSHA regulation at https://www.osha.gov and review the sections 29 CFR 1926.501(a)(2) and 29 CFR 1926.850(a). Write a paragraph relating each section to the above incident and describe how following the regulations would have reduced the risk to employees.