OSHA Inspection: BROWN CHEMICAL CO., INC.

Issued

1998-10-28 00:00:00

Abate by

1998-11-02 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $2500.00

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 the failure of storage tank piping and valves, resulting
in the release of highly
corrosive materials.
a)Acid Storage Tank area:  An exterior acid storage tank on the south side
of the
distribution building was not equipped with materials of construction that
were
compatible with the oxidizer being stored, in this case nitric acid
(40-70%). There
is no preventative maintenance procedure in place to ensure the integrity
of the
tank and its associated systems are functional. The strainer top bolts at
the front
of the tank filling pipe line failed, resulting in an accidental release
of the nitric
acid during charging, on or about 09/15/98.
Abatement Note:  Feasible and acceptable methods of abatement to correct
this hazard are, such
as but not limited to:
1)  To comply with NFPA 430 Code for the Storage of Liquid and Solid
Oxidizers 1995
Edition, Chapter 2, Basic Requirements, Section 2-3, Storage Containers,
Tanks, and
Bins, Section 2-3.2, Tanks and Bins.
2)  Implementation of a routine preventative maintenance program that
includes physical
inspection of piping system and its relative parts, such as but not
limited to, o-rings,
piping joints, strainer components including strainer bolts. Established
preventative
maintenance program should include inspection of all pertinent components
on a routine
basis as well as before tank filling operations occurring.
3)  Installation of a shut-off valve and/or a one-way check valve at the
front of the
charge line would allow any undesirable back flow to be stopped at that
point.d