OSHA Inspection: MERCURY WASTE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Feb 17, 1999

Penalty

Initial $3,000 · Current $3,500

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:
(a)Workers were potentially exposed to the hazard of sudden retort oven
pressurization during the heating cycle.  Such an event occurred on
October 14,
1998, during Retort Run #4-44, when a sudden pressurization inside Oven #4
resulted in a breach of the oven door.
Certification, and documentation/evidence of abatement is required.
Certification of abatement is required by 29 CFR Part 1903 and is to be
submitted within ten (10)
calendar days after the abatement date.
Steps which could be taken to abate these hazards include, but are not
necessarily limited
to, the following:
(1)Re-evaluate the overall design safety of the retort ovens; specifically
investigate
the development of design features and administrative controls which could
be
implemented to safeguard workers from the hazard of being struck by an oven
door or otherwise injured in the event of sudden pressurization.
(2)Perform in depth risk analysis of the retorting process to determine
procedures
and protocols necessary to prevent inclusion of unstable or reactive
materials
capable of generating an explosion and concomitant uncontrolled release of
airborne mercury into the work area.
(3)Perform in depth review of the waste stream, which potentially could be
processed by retorting, for the purpose of characterizing the various
substances
with respect to their potential for generating an explosion.  The
substances should
be considered individually and also in terms of potential for reacting
with other
components.
(4)In cases in which the safety of the process has not been established
for a
particular substance, or for a given combination of substances, research
and pilot
studies should be conducted to establish the safety of the process, prior
to its
inclusion in the retorting process.
(5)Rigorous steps must be implemented at the point at which shipments are
received
to verify information as stated in the Bill of Lading or Shipping
Manifests. These
steps should include thorough inspection and "finger-printing" of the
shipment
to assure that the identity of the contents match the shipping
description. In cases
involving possible discrepancies, additional steps should be taken:
contacting the
supplier, collecting samples for analysis, or rejection of shipment.
(6)Thorough training must be conducted to ensure that workers performing
the
above tasks are knowledgeable of the necessary procedures and protocols,
as
well
as being aware of the potential hazards of the various waste materials.

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 19, 1999

Penalty

Initial $1,500

Hazardous substances 1631M111

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Feb 17, 1999

Penalty

Initial $3,000

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Feb 17, 1999

Penalty

Current $1,400

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 28, 1999

Penalty

Initial $3,000

Hazardous substances 1631M111

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 28, 1999

Penalty

Current $1,000

Hazardous substances M1111631

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 21, 1999

Penalty

Initial $1,200

Hazardous substances 1860

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 19, 1999

Penalty

Initial $1,200 · Current $499 Reduced

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Mar 18, 1999

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $1 Reduced

Hazardous substances 1631

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Mar 18, 1999

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Feb 2, 1999

Penalty

Initial $3,000

Hazardous substances M1111631

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Feb 17, 1999

Penalty

Initial $600 · Current $600

Hazardous substances 1631

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 19, 1999

Issued

Jan 15, 1999

Abate by

Jan 23, 1999