OSHA Inspection: ACE CHEMICAL PRODUCTS

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Aug 17, 1990

Penalty

Initial $280 · Current $150 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The
employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were
free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death
or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to:
a) Uncontrolled release of hazardous level of chlorine gas (C/2) from
mixing of incompatable chemicals at Holsum Food on May 14, 1990.
The following conditions contributed to the existence of these hazards:
a) The employees performing the filling of the tanker prior to delivery
were not in possesion of a billing of ladding to ensure the proper
tank was loaded with correct material.
b) The bill of ladding was completed relying completely on the memory of
the individuals rather than verification by the company chemist.
c) Testing of the truck was not performed to ensure proper filling of
the compartments after filling and prior to shipment.
d) Testing of the truck compartments and verification prior to pumping
was not performed at Holsum Foods.
e) There was no estalished company protocol to ensure proper loading of
a truck for shipment.
f) Failure to establish a safety audit program designed to evaluate and
minimize human factors and process hazards.
Feasible means of abatement, among others, include the following:
1) Implementation of written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for
chemical loading and handling and shipping operations which contain
the following:
a) General description of processes.
b) Properties and compatibities of materials involved.
c) Description of protective and emergency response equipment required.
d) Precautions and actions to be avoided.
e) What constitutes an emergency description.
f) Emergency response procedure.
2) Implementation and enforcement of a policy which assures that the
individual responsible for completing the bill of ladding and filling
of the truck compartment is loading and labeling the shipment
properly.
3) Implementation and enforcement of a policy which requires employees
who accompany shipment to destination perform testing of truck
contents to ensure proper compatibility of chemicals to be unloaded.
4) Training of all employees to ensure compliance and understanding of
these policies and procedures.

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Aug 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $640 · Current $310 Reduced

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Sep 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $240 · Current $125 Reduced

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Sep 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $280 · Current $140 Reduced

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Oct 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $240 · Current $125 Reduced

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Sep 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $240 · Current $125 Reduced

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Oct 1, 1990

Penalty

Initial $240 · Current $125 Reduced

Issued

Jul 17, 1990

Abate by

Jul 25, 1990