OSHA Inspection: ENERGY MACHINE, INC.

Issued

Aug 4, 1998

Abate by

Jan 6, 1999

Penalty

Initial $2,500 · Current $2,500

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
struck-by hazard:
Employees were exposed to a struck-by hazard in that the employer was not
able to ensure that employees
were properly applying the driver and safety block system to the lathe
faceplates by ensuring the proper
torque when tightening the altered bolts on the company's designed and
manufactured lathe dog, driver,
and safety block system which allows the devices to periodically fly apart
during normal and emergency
conditions.  The system was not certified by a registered professional
engineer for safety and torque
requirements:
a)On the face plate of the 38.5 inch Sidney lathe #63 (model 4025, S.N.
4025004) in the rough
department, the employer was not able to ensure that employees were
properly applying the driver
and safety block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper
torque when tightening the
altered bolts on the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog,
driver, and safety block
system, thus exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.  On 5/29/98, an
employee was fatally
injured when the safety block and driver system flew off the face plate of
the Sidney lathe.
b)On the 30 inch Niles lathe #59 (S.N. 221-137) in the rough department,
the face plate had a crack
which was compromising its integrity, thus exposing employees to a
struck-by hazard.
c)On the face plate of the 42 inch American lathe #58 (S.N. 73847-53) in
the rough department, the
employer was not able to ensure that employees were properly applying the
driver and safety
block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper torque when
tightening the altered bolts
on the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog, driver, and safety
block system, thus
exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.
d)On the face plate of the 42 inch American lathe #57 (S.N. 67017-43) in
the rough department, the
employer was not able to ensure that employees were properly applying the
driver and safety
block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper torque when
tightening the altered bolts
on the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog, driver, and safety
block system, thus
exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.
e)On the face plate of the 42 inch American lathe #56 (S.N. 63044-41) in
the rough department, the
employer was not able to ensure that employees were properly applying the
driver and safety
block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper torque when
tightening the altered bolts
on the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog, driver, and safety
block system, thus
exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.
f)On the face plate of the 38 inch Niles lathe #53 (S.N. 224-03) in the
rough department, the
employer was not able to ensure that employees were properly applying the
driver and safety
block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper torque when
tightening the altered bolts
on the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog, driver, and safety
block system, thus
exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.
g)On the face plate of the 48 inch American lathe #52 (S.N. 64445-42) in
the rough department, the
employer was not able to ensure that employees were properly applying the
driver and safety
block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper torque when
tightening the altered bolts
on the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog, driver, and safety
block system, thus
exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.
h)On the face plate of the 48 inch American lathe #18 (S.N. 72705-52) in
the rough department, the
employer was not able to ensure that employees were properly applying the
driver and safety
block system to the lathe faceplate by ensuring the proper torque when
tightening
the altered boltson the company's designed and manufactured lathe dog,
driver, and safety block system, thus
exposing the employees to a struck-by hazard.
Among the feasible abatement methods to correct this hazard are the
following:
*Use a commercially manufactured one-piece, driver lathe dog designed for
the
use in lathe work of crankshafts.
*Design a jig/fixture that allows various positions for off-center lathe
work and
that can be bolted to the face plate of the lathe with the appropriate "T"
nuts and
bolts or the equivalent.  A registered professional engineer needs to
approve/certify the design for safety.
*Develop, implement, and document an effective training and enforcement
program for lathe operators to ensure that the employees properly tighten
the
bolts on the faceplate driver and safety block system during setup and
prior to
running the lathe.
Abatement certification and documentation are required.tion

Issued

Aug 4, 1998

Abate by

Aug 22, 1998

Penalty

Initial $1,750 · Current $1,750

Issued

Aug 4, 1998

Abate by

Aug 22, 1998

Penalty

Initial $1,250 · Current $1,250

Issued

Aug 4, 1998

Abate by

Nov 16, 1998