OSHA Inspection: AMERICAN BOILER CONSTRUCTION, INC.

Issued

Mar 2, 2001

Abate by

Mar 7, 2001

Penalty

Initial $1,600 · Current $1,600

General-duty citation text

S
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 employee
in that employees
were exposed to the hazards of inhalation, ingestion, chemical/thermal
burns, and catastrophic
release of hydrogen sulfide gas.
(a)  On or about 9/4/00 through 9/15/00, employees were exposed to a
release of
hydrogen sulfide into their work area when sulfuric acid was inadvertently
mixed with
black liquor.  Also, employees were potentially exposed to chemical burns
to the skin
if deluged by black liquor contained in two black liquor storage tanks.
Employees were
engaged in upgrading a boilout tank and the #1 and #2 50black liquor
storage tanks.
They were to fabricate steel overflow pipes and then weld them to the
threetanks thus
tying these tanks together.  The tanks were not isolated, locked out, or
blanked by
closing the infeed/outfeed valves and by deenergizing the feed/drain pumps
to prevent
hazardous chemicals from being pumped into or from the tanks.
Among others, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this hazard is
to comply
with American National Standard Institute, ANSI Z244.1 and to ensure that
employees
are not allowed to work on tanks containing hazardous chemicals until all
energy sources
and valves have been isolated and locked out as follows: (1) The employer
shall employ
a written lockout procedure to isolate tanks before they are worked on by
employees.
The lockout procedure shall provide for closing all infeed and outfeed
valves to these
tanks and applying a locking mechanism so that the valves cannot be
reopened or closed,
which ever is appropriate, and shall provide for the deenergization of all
infeed and outfeed pumps to these tanks.  (2)  Employees did not ensure
that all energy isolating
devices (valves and pumps) needed to control the flow of chemicals to and
from the tanks
were not applied in such a manner as to isolate the tanks from the flow of
chemicals
prior to having employees work on them.
OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE:
29 CFR 1910.261(g)(21):  All piping leading to tanks were not blanked off
or valved and locked
or tagged:
(a)  Chemical Recovery Tank Farm Area - On or about 9/15/00, the employer
did not
ensure that all energy isolating devices, valves and pumps needed to
control the flow of
chemicals to and from the boilout tank and the #1 and #2 50black liquor
tanks were
applied in such a manner as to isolate the tanks from the flow of
chemicalsprior to having
employees work on them.

Issued

Mar 2, 2001

Abate by

Mar 7, 2001

Penalty

Initial $1,600 · Current $1,600

Issued

Mar 2, 2001

Abate by

Mar 7, 2001

Issued

Mar 2, 2001

Abate by

Mar 7, 2001

Issued

Mar 1, 2001

Abate by

Mar 6, 2001

Penalty

Initial $1,600 · Current $1,600

Issued

Mar 1, 2001

Abate by

Mar 6, 2001