OSHA Inspection: PEER BEARING COMPANY

Issued

Jan 31, 1996

Abate by

Feb 5, 1996

Penalty

Initial $1,750 · Current $1,000 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:
(a) On January 6, 1996, Peer Bearing Company's workers were exposed
to an explosion hazard, in that, adequate precautions were not taken to
prevent the ignition of mineral spirit vapors in the Wisconsin electric
oven, or in the oven's exhaust duct.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this
hazard is to design and equip the Wisconsin oven with a safety ventilation
system, approved by the oven manufacturer, which dilutes the vapors with
fresh air to well below the lower explosive limit and discharges them
outdoors by a positive and dependable system based upon factors, such as,
the solvent's peak evaporation rate, and which otherwise meets all
specifications of National Fire Protection Association's Standard for Ovens
and Furnaces, NFPA No. 86-1995, and further addressed in Factory
Mutual System's, "Handbook of Industrial Loss Prevention", Second
Edition, dated 1967.