OSHA Inspection: AKRON GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER

Issued

Jul 10, 2002

Abate by

Aug 12, 2002

Penalty

Initial $1,875 · Current $1,000 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 the condition(s) listed below:
a) On or before March 1, 2002, the employer failed to ensure that the
refrigerant detector
(manufactured by Vulcain, model VA-201T), specific for refrigerant R-123
(a safety group B1
refrigerant), was fully operational, including but not limited to a
calibrated sensor, ventilation,
chiller shut-down relay, audio and visual alarms, at all times in
accordance with
"ANSI/ASHRAE 15-1994, section 8.13.2.1, the year 2000 addendum d," which
states:
8.13.2.1 Each refrigerating machinery room shall contain a detector,
located in an area
where refrigerant from a leak will concentrate, that actuates an alarm and
mechanical ventilation
in accordance with 8.13.4 at a value not greater than the corresponding
TLV-TWA (or toxicity
measure consistent therewith). The alarm shall annunciate visual and
audible alarms inside the
refrigerating machinery room and outside each entrance to the
refrigerating machinery room.
The alarms required in this section shall be of the manual reset type with
the reset located inside
the refrigerating machinery room.
Alarms set at other levels (such as IDLH) and automatic reset alarms are
permitted in
addition to those required by this section.  The meaning of each alarm
shall be clearly marked
by signage near the annunciators.
Note:  On March 1, 2002, the value at which the alarm activates the
mechanical ventilation (in
accordance with ANSI/ASHRAE 15-1994, Section 8.13.2.1, the year 2000
addendum d,) was
set at a value greater than the TLV-TWA.  The employer had alarm level 2
set at 100 ppm
which is greater than the limit set on the MSDS of 10 ppm and the Vulcain
User's Manual
which states Alarm Level A should be at 50 ppm.
Note:  The two, Trane, CVHF, chillers, located in the machinery room,
contain approximately
2,400 lbs of R-123 refrigerant that is colorless with a ethereal and faint
sweetish odor.  If
released into the machinery room it could reduce oxygen available for
breathing.  Employees
exposed to this condition could be subjected to symptoms related to an
oxygen deficient
atmosphere including but not limited to dizziness, loss of concentration,
CNS depression, cardiac
arrhythmia, and asphyxiation.
The "ANSI/ASHRAE 34-1997 Designation and Safety Classification of
Refrigerants" standard
determines the refrigerant R-123 to be in safety group B1.
"Section 6.1.2 Toxicity Classification," states:
Class B signifies refrigerants for which there is evidence of toxicity at
concentrations
below 400 ppm by volume, based on data used to determine TLV-TWA or
consistent indices.
"Section 6.1.3 Flammability Classification," states:
Class 1 indicates refrigerants that do not show flame propagation when
tested in air at
101 kPa (14.7 psia) and 21 degrees C (70 degrees F).
Note:  Feasible and acceptable abatement methods include but are not
limited to:
1) calibrating the detector on a regular schedule recommended by the
manufacturer;
2) performing periodic tests of the detector, alarms, and mechanical
ventilation based on
manufacturer's instructions, based on ANSI/ASHRAE 15-1994, section 11.7.3;
3) replacing the sensor as needed;
4) developing and implementing a written response plan for refrigerant
alarms and detector
malfunctions, which may include but is not limited to methods to test for
a leak and effective
communication of the problem to employees that may be required to enter
into the machinery
room; (an example can be found in Appendix I of ANSI/ASHRAE 15-1994,
addendum 2000);
5) ensuring the detector alarm levels are set at the correct values;
6) training employees on the hazards of refrigerants, what personal
protective equipment is
necessary if the employee is required to enter a space that may or does
have a low level of
oxygen; and
7) developing and implementing a respiratory protection program for
employees required to wear
a SCBA and/or half-mask dual cartridge respirators;

Issued

Jul 10, 2002

Abate by

Aug 12, 2002

Issued

Jul 10, 2002

Abate by

Jul 23, 2002