OSHA Adds Technical Amendment on Highway Steel Work to Steel Erection Standard
OSHA’s technical amendment adds a nonmandatory note to its standards governing steel erection. The note provides information concerning existing Federal Highway Administration regulations that may apply to employers engaged in activities covered by OSHA’s steel erection standards. In 2004, a fatal highway accident occurred on an interstate highway in Colorado as a passenger vehicle passed under an overpass that was being widened. The bracing used to temporarily support a partially installed steel girder on the overpass collapsed, causing the girder to fall to the highway below, shearing off the top of the vehicle and killing the three occupants inside. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) subsequently investigated the accident and determined that the probable cause was insufficient design and installation of the girder’s temporary bracing system. NTSB also found that a Registered Engineer did not approve the bracing-system design, which violates Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations. FHWA regulations generally require employers involved in National Highway System construction projects to comply with a number of standards, policies, and standard specifications published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (“AASHTO”), among other organizations. FHWA also encourages compliance with AASHTO Specifications that the FHWA regulations do not currently incorporate by reference. For projects involving bridge construction, the FHWA regulations incorporate by reference AASHTO’s Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, 15th edition, 1992. The 1992 Specifications provide that a Registered Engineer must prepare and seal working drawings for falsework in many cases. OSHA believes that knowledge of these requirements will enhance the safety of employees operating on or near structural steel elements used in highway construction, including bridges and other structures.
Therefore, OSHA is adding a note to 29 CFR 1926.754(a) to inform construction employers of the FHWA requirements. The effective date is May 17, 2010. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-10983.htm