OSHA Inspection: SCHMIDT ELECTRIC CO. INC.

Issued

Aug 31, 1999

Abate by

Sep 20, 1999

Penalty

Initial $1,500 · Current $200 Reduced

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 heat stress:
while installing conduit and pulling wire on scissor lifts 4 feet beneath
the building's metal roof:
a)At the inspection site, employees were exposed to a Wet Bulb Globe
Temperature
that ranged from  86.3 to 89.8 degrees Fahrenheit while working on scissor
lifts installing
conduit and pulling wire beneath the flat metal roof during the 3 hour 47
minute sampling
period.  Such exposure(s) may lead to the development of serious heat
induced illness(es), such
as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat rash, and
transient heat fatigue.
b)The estimated metabolic workload for employees in the building under
construction put them in the "light" workload category as correlated with
the
guidelines
established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH) and
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Employees job tasks
included installing conduit and pulling wire through conduit inside the
building under
construction.
Means of feasible abatement include, but may not be limited to:
1.)  Establishment of provisions for a work/rest regimen so that exposure
time to high
temperatures is decreased and/or the work rate is decreased.
2.)  Development of a formal heat stress program which incorporates:
(a)  A training program informing employees about the effects of heat
stress,
symptoms of heat-induced illnesses, and prevention of heat-induced
illnesses;
(b)  Use of heat stress instruments to monitor the work environment.
(c)  An acclimation program for new employees and employees returning from
periods of absence of three or more days.
(d)  A screening program to identify health conditions aggravated by
elevated
temperatures.
(e)  Provisions for providing cool drinking water and/or electrolytes.
(f)  Provisions to provide rest areas with cooler temperatures.