Struck-by hazard OSHA checklist — who's standing in the line of fire?
Struck-by incidents — being hit by a suspended load, a vehicle, flying debris, or falling material — are one of OSHA's construction Focus Four killers, second only to falls. The controls are mostly about position: nobody under a suspended load (29 CFR 1926.1425 for cranes and derricks), exclusion zones barricaded around lifts and swing radii, spotters and high-visibility clothing where vehicles operate (1926.601–602), and secured materials overhead. OSHA Scan reads a photo of lifting or vehicle operations and flags who's visibly in the line of fire: workers beneath loads, missing barricades, and foot traffic through equipment zones. It is an AI-assisted first pass, not a lift plan review.
- Nobody under suspended loads — ever
- Exclusion zones physically marked
- Rigging inspected before every lift
- Loads travel low and secured
What counts as a struck-by hazard under OSHA?
OSHA groups struck-by into four types: flying objects (tool ejecta, grinder shards), falling objects (dropped tools, slipped loads, material off edges), swinging objects (crane loads, equipment booms), and rolling objects (vehicles, equipment, pipe). It's one of construction's Focus Four fatal hazards, and vehicle- and load-related events dominate the fatality data. The unifying control is position — keeping people out of the path — backed by securing loads, guarding machines, and making workers visible.
Is it ever acceptable to work under a suspended load?
For crane and derrick operations, 29 CFR 1926.1425 prohibits hoisting loads over employees with narrow exceptions (like hooking and unhooking, with specific protections). As a site practice, the answer every competent lift director gives is no: work is sequenced and routes are arranged so nobody is ever beneath a raised load, whatever the machine holding it. Forklift and telehandler loads get the same treatment even though the citation may come under different sections — the physics doesn't read the standard.
Can AI detect struck-by hazards from a photo?
It can flag the positional failures: someone under a raised load, a lift area with no barricade, workers in a reversing path, and material staged loose at an edge above people. It cannot verify rigging capacity, operator certification, or whether a lift plan exists — those live in documents and inspections. Use the scan during active lifts and deliveries, when exposure peaks and attention is scarcest.