OSHA Inspection: NASSAU CHEMICAL CORPORATION

Issued

Dec 31, 1986

Abate by

Jan 3, 1987

Penalty

Initial $150 · Current $150

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:
toxic thermal decomposition products (such as hydrogen bromide, which
may cause acute lung damage) as a result of the overheating of a batch
of Wyfire R H-EA75 in the Banbury Mixer, on or about 8/27/86.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct the hazard is to implement:
1) The use of automatic controls (with or without alarms) designed to
drop the batch from the mixer at a predetermined temperature and/or
time selected to ensure that the batch will remain stable.
2) The incremental addition of raw materials, especially antimony
trioxide, to slow the temperature rise of the batch and allow
dissipation of heat.
3) The installation of remote activated water spray nozzles or other
means to quench/extinguish overheated batches in the event of failure
of controls.
4) Redundant instrumentation for critical parameters, such as
temperatures.