OSHA Vs Hoover Dam: Fifty-Eight Strikes
Hoover Dam is more than just a sight-seeing tourist trap. It also supplies power to Nevada, California and Arizona. And according to OSHA, Hoover Dam is the not-so-proud owner of 58 violations.
Inspectors for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration found violations in July and October, including lead contamination, electrical hazards, inadequate personal protection and machinery guards, and the possibility that electric plant workers could be exposed to hexavalent chromium, which may lead to cancer according to a statement released Monday.
None of the violations threatened the structural integrity of the dam or jeopardized the safety of the public, said Terry Fulp, regional chief of the Bureau of Reclamation. Fulp said:
“We are taking the necessary steps to ensure the issues raised are fixed and do not happen again.”
The violations are also due to outdated building code, and no incidents have occurred as a result yet, states FOX News.
The Hoover Dam holds back the Lake Mead reservoir, which supplies almost all the drinking water supply of Las Vegas. Water released through the hydropower plant supplies businesses and homes downstream. Some 1 million tourists a year visit the colossal structure, its massive hydropower plant and its architectural elements.
None of the visitors were endangered, Rose Davis, spokeswoman for the dam operations office in Boulder City said.
OSHA expects a response by the end of the month, OSHA spokeswoman Deanne Amaden said. She added that Bureau of Reclamation officials can request additional time to correct violations, according to KTAR, “The Voice of Arizona”. Some included improper location of fire extinguishers and placement of extension cords. Nearly thirty of the violations were a quick fix.
Other violations included doors opening the wrong direction, and date from the dam’s construction in the 1930s, Davis said.
Nobody has been seriously hurt as a result of these 58 violations, but they must be fixed as soon as possible.
