OSHA Inspection: GROCERY SUPPLY COMPANY

Issued

Mar 14, 2005

Abate by

Mar 18, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,500 · Current $900 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:
a)  At the site, in the main storage building, a compressed air system was
installed form
the maintenance room to the module conveyor using Schedule 40 polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) pipe.
The system operates at 120 psig. PVC pipe and fittings do not possess
shatter resistant properties
and the brittle PVC material can be broken or shattered by external forces
and stress. This pipe
is designed for transmittal of liquids which do not possess the high
amounts of stored energy
present in compressed gases. Existing compressed gas systems using PVC
piping must be
completely enclosed, buried, or otherwise guarded according to
specifications approved by
professional consulting engineers. The manufacturer's product data sheets
for
the Schedule 40
PVC pipe found in the facility's compressed air system stated "Not for use
with compressed
air." The hazards involved with using PVC pipe for compressed air have
been recognized by
the Plastic Pipe Institute, American National Standards Institute, and
OSHA HaBulletin.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct the
hazard include installation of the compressed air system with materials
such as, but not limited
to: iron pipe, flexible hose, or copper tubing. Any system should be
installed according to
manufacturer specifications.

Issued

Mar 14, 2005

Abate by

Mar 18, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,125 · Current $675 Reduced

Issued

Mar 14, 2005

Abate by

Mar 18, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,500 · Current $900 Reduced

Issued

Mar 14, 2005

Abate by

Mar 18, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,125 · Current $675 Reduced

Issued

Mar 14, 2005

Abate by

Mar 18, 2005

Penalty

Initial $1,500 · Current $900 Reduced