OSHA Inspection: GENERAL MOTORS CORP., TRUCK & BUS GROUP

Issued

Sep 8, 1998

Abate by

Sep 22, 1998

Penalty

Initial $4,500 · Current $4,500

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 explosion, fire, and smoke resulting from ignition of
combustible liquid and residue
contained in a pipe that was being welded on during a hot tap operation
and proven effective
measures were not taken to safeguard them;
a)On or about July 4, 1998, at the General Motors Truck and Bus Group
building,
in the tunnel below and near posts P-18 & P-19, a hot-tap welding
procedure was
performed on a compressed air system that was under pressure and contained
a
combustible liquid and its residues.  During this procedure, proven
effective
safeguards were not taken for employees in that measures for monitoring
and/or
controlling radiant heat energy from that operation, including controlling
the
temperature of the wall of the system, its internal contents, or the
combustible
atmosphere contained within that system were not taken to prevent ignition
of
compressor oil or vapor.
One feasible method of abatement among others, is to fill the system with
an inert gas to lower
the internal combustible and explosive vapors below explosive limits.
Another feasible method
of abatement is to monitor the temperature of the wall of the system
(pipe) and cool to
temperatures below that which would allow combustible liquids, vapors, or
residues to reach
their ignition point.