OSHA Inspection: TALON MANUFACTURING CO. INC. PLANT #7

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

May 30, 1997

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $5,000 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 the employer failed to implement engineering
controls necessary to prevent overheating of the solution used to
destroy the detonators, thereby exposing employees to explosion
hazards:
(a)Talon Manufacturing Company, Inc., Plant #7, Lower
Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedure for Detonators.  The
company failed to provide continuous agitation of the
solution used to destroy the detonators which would
have prevented the solution from overheating.  The
company also failed to install temperature monitors and
temperature controls on the destruction process.
AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHOD
TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD IS:
a.Install agitators on the vessel which contains the
solution used to destroy the detonators to prevent
localized overheating of the solution.
b.Install a continuous temperature monitor with an alarm
which indicates that the temperature of the solution is
beginning to rise along with a temperature control
system that would safely shut down the operation prior
to a critical temperature being reached.

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

May 30, 1997

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $3,500 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 the employer failed to control possible sources
of static electricity thereby exposing employees to explosion
hazards:
(a)Talon Manufacturing Company Inc., Plant #7, Lower
Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedure for Detonators.  The
employer was using non-conductive plastic, 55 gallon
drums as process vessels for the chemical destruction
of detonators and leads, which contained tetryl and or
lead azide explosives with no means to ground the
vessels and prevent the accumulation of static
electricity on the surface of the drum.  There was the
potential for the formation of hydrogen gas on the
surface of the solution in the detonator destruction
drum which could ignite from a static spark.
AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHOD
TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD IS:
a.Prohibit the use of nonconductive plastic drums unless
they are used with proper grounding or bonding
techniques.ve

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

May 15, 1997

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $3,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 24102260S113P108

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 the employer failed to prevent the
contamination of the solution (used to destroy the detonators)
with incompatible metals such as copper, iron and mercury thereby
exposing employees to an explosion hazard:
(a) Talon Manufacturing Company Inc., Plant #7, Lower
Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedure for Detonators.  The
same bucket was being used to drain the propyl glycol
solution from the detonators and leads thereby allowing
the solution used to destroy the detonators to become
contaminated with brass from the casings on the leads.
The brass could react in this solution and form copper
azide.
(b)Talon Manufacturing Company Inc., Plant #7, Lower
Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedures for Detonators.
The water used in the detonation solution was from a
local well and no quality control tests were conducted
on the water to assure that it was not contaminated
with iron, copper or mercury which could form highly
sensitive explosive azide salts.
(c)Talon Manufacturing Company Inc., Plant #7, Lower
Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedures for Detonators.  An
iron spade was also being used to stir the solution
which could contaminate it with iron.
(d)Talon Manufacturing Company Inc., Plant #7, Lower
Alpoca, Demilitarization Procedures for Detonators.  A
glass mercury thermometer was being used to measure the
solution temperature in the new process building on
12/3/96.  Accidental breakage of the thermometer in the
azide solution could produce mercury azide, a highly
sensitive explosive compound.
AMONG OTHER METHODS, ONE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ABATEMENT METHOD
TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD IS:
a.Use separate buckets in the recovery of leads and
detonators from the glycol solution.
b.Establish strict quality control on the water used in
the destruction solutions and the glycol solutions.
c.Prohibit the use of iron or steel tools in the
destruction solutions.
d.Prohibit the use of glass mercury thermometers in the
azide solutions.

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

May 30, 1997

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $1,000 Reduced

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

Jun 20, 1997

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $2,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 22602410S113

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

May 15, 1997

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $2,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 2260S113

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

May 15, 1997

Hazardous substances 2260S113

Issued

May 6, 1997

Abate by

Jun 20, 1997

Hazardous substances 24102260S113