Reference no: EM133244726

Assignment - Independent Research Discussion

Description - Answer two of the following research questions, and submit all your work in a single file. Be sure to cite all resources in APA format.

1. Using your own experiences and/or independent research, construct an actual case history of a fatal accident that was blamed on carelessness, but could have been prevented by a better engineering design. Your response should be no longer than 1 page (250 to 275 words).

2. Search the Internet for details on the Kansas City hotel skywalk disaster. Describe the disaster in no more than 1 page (250 to 275 words).

3. Consider the following accident case history:

On July 4, 1980, three workers, ages 14, 16, and 17, were installing a sign at a bait shop along a state highway. They were using a truck-mounted extendable metal ladder to unload and position an upright steel support for the sign. Two of the workers were holding and guiding the steel support while the third stood on the flatbed truck operating the extendable-ladder controls. The metal ladder came into contact with a 13,200-volt overhead power line. The two workers guiding the steel support were standing on the ground and were subjected to immediate electrocution. The third worker attempted to break contact with the power line by operating the controls, but the controls had become useless, probably because the control wiring had become burned by the high-voltage contact. The workers then leaped from the truck and ran around to the front to try to drive the truck away to break contact. As one of the workers grasped the door handle to the truck cab, he was still standing on the ground, which provided a path for the current thought his body. The utility company had equipped the line with a "re-closer" that normally would have broken the circuit under these conditions, but for a variety of reasons it failed to do so in this case. Therefore, the power remained on for a rather lengthy period. The high-voltage and burning current finally broke down the dielectric strength of the rubber tires and they blew out. This shifted the truck's position, and the contact with the power line was broken, but not before one worker had been burned in half and another's legs were burned off. All three workers died.

How could future accidents of this type be prevented? Compare the four basic approaches to hazard avoidance in preventing accidents of this type. Your response should be no longer than 1 page (250 to 275 words).

4. Use the Internet to search for OSHA General Industry standards that relate to training. Determine the percentage of citations that are classified as "serious." Find five cases of serious citations and provide a brief description of each. Your response should be no longer than 1 page (250 to 275 words).