OSHA Inspection: OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION

Issued

Jan 4, 2005

Abate by

Jan 7, 2005

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 the hazard of being sprayed with hot (198 degree F) process
waste water due to a
blind not being reinstalled prior to the start-up of the stripping
operation in Stripper #1.
a) Employees were burned by hot process waste water mixed with vinyl
chloride and
vinyl acetate when a kamlock cap blew off of a pump discharge hose
connection
following the stripping operation in Stripper #1 on or about July 8, 2004.
Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods include the
following:
1.Follow the established written standard operating procedure, Pump-Out Of
Bad
Batches OP3D02.
2.Install a shut-off valve at the hose connection point of Stripper #1
like the other
Strippers in the area have.
3.Develop and implement a procedure to identify when a blind has been
removed
and to verify that the blind is replaced.
4.Where appropriate, utilize management of change processes for non-routine
production operations to help ensure that changes and their consequences
are
disseminated to all affected personnel.
No abatement certification or documentation required.tion