OSHA Inspection: A3M VACUUM SERVICE,INC

Issued

Jan 26, 2005

Abate by

Feb 1, 2005

Penalty

Initial $2,500

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was 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 engulfed by overhead and/or
surrounding metal
debris while working within the confined spaces of the caster unit.
a)  Employees were permitted to chip and remove metal debris in a
hazardous method
that created the potential for engulfment. As part of the normal work
practice, employees
chipped away and vacuumed out a heterogeneous mixture of metal scale and
fragments
that had in-filled the caster pits during the production of steel billets.
Instead of removing
this debris in a consistent work method from top to bottom, employees were
allowed to
tunnel through the debris thereby creating an engulfment hazard from
debris remaining
overhead.
DISCLAIMERS:
1)You are not limited to the abatement methods suggested above.
2)The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases.
3)The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an
appropriate method.