OSHA Inspection: WALBAR SPECIALTY PROCESSING - GREENWOOD PLANT

Issued

Oct 23, 2000

Abate by

Apr 1, 2001

Penalty

Initial $4,500 · Current $600 Reduced

General-duty citation text

SCRR 71-112A: Failed to furnish a place of employment which is free of
recognized hazards
which may cause death or serious physical harm to his employees and comply
with this
regulation and other occupational safety and health rules and regulations
promulgated under
Chapter 15 of Title 41, Code of Laws, State of South Carolina, 1976, as
amended, as
follows:
A. Employer knew or should have known that employees operating and working
around gas
fired car bottom furnaces on or before September 1, 2000 were exposed to
the hazards of
explosion resulting from the release of Hydrogen.  A feasible and useful
means
of abatement,
among other methods, is to develop and implement a preventative
maintenance program to
include as a minimum the following elements:
1)Risk Assessment to identify hazards associated with the furnace
operations
using NFPA #86 Standards for ovens and furnaces as well as any other
applicable consensus codes.
2)Develop and implement regularly scheduled inspection, testing, and
maintenance of all safety devices.
3)Develop and implement and operational and maintenance checklist for
equipment in the heat treat area such as but not limited to furnaces,
chambers,
cars, programmable controllers and chart recorders, valves, car tracks,
thermocouples and thermocouple wires.
4)All inspections and testing shall be documented.
B. Employer knew or should have known that employees operating and working
around
Lindberg gas fired car bottom furnaces on or before September 1, 2000 were
exposed to the
hazards of explosion by uncontrollable releases of Hydrogen associated
with normal
operations of the furnaces.  A feasible and useful means of abatement,
among others, is to
develop and implement a standard operating procedure to include the
following:
1)Emergency operating procedures, and emergency shutdown procedures.
C. Employer knew or should have known that employees operating and working
around
Lindberg gas fired car bottom furnaces on or before September 1, 2000 were
exposed to the
hazards of explosion resulting from the release of Hydrogen.  A feasible
and useful means of
abatement, among other methods, is to establish and implement written
procedures to manage
changes to process technology, equipment and procedures that are approved
by a qualified
engineer according to manufacturers recommendations.

Issued

Oct 23, 2000

Abate by

Dec 27, 2000

Penalty

Initial $2,250

Issued

Oct 23, 2000

Abate by

Oct 26, 2000

Issued

Oct 23, 2000

Abate by

Oct 26, 2000