OSHA Inspection: SOUTH ATLANTIC, LLC DBA SOUTH ATLANTIC GALVANIZING

Issued

Oct 31, 2008

Abate by

Nov 5, 2008

Penalty

Initial $1,225

General-duty citation text

North Carolina General Statute 95-129(1) of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of North Carolina:  The
employer did not furnish each of his employees conditions of employment
and a place of employment 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)Manufacturing area - two ten-ton bridge cranes were operating in the
area equipped
with fabricated below-the-hook lifting devices that had not been load
rated, and load
testing information was not available for the devices.  One of the cranes
was a top
running bridge crane, rated at ten tons, used to lift loads of steel into
various tanks,
containing hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and molten zinc chloride
and ammonia
chloride mixture.   The second crane was a bottom running bridge crane,
rated at ten
tons, used to lift loads of steel also.  Both of the cranes were equipped
with
below-the-hook lifting devices that had been fabricated for the facility,
but not been load tested to
ensure that the devices could successfully lift the ten-ton capacity of
the crane and other
lifting components.  There were neither labels present with the rated
loads of the lifting
devices, nor were there test certificates to show the results of the load
testing for the
below-the-hook lifting devices.
REFERENCE:  ASME B30.20-1999, Section 1.2.1, Markings.
The rated load of the lifting device shall be marked on the main structure
where it is
visible.
NOTE:  Among other methods of abatement, one feasible and acceptable
method to correct this
hazard is to load test the below-the-hook lifting devices, then place the
labels of rated load
capacities on the below-the-hook lifting devices.

Issued

Oct 31, 2008

Abate by

Nov 5, 2008

Penalty

Initial $1,225

General-duty citation text

North Carolina General Statute 95-129(1) of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of North Carolina:  The
employer did not furnish each of his employees conditions of employment
and a place of employment 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)Manufacturing area - two ten-ton bridge cranes were operating in the
area equipped
with below-the-hook lifting devices that had been fabricated for the
facility.  One of the
cranes was a top running bridge crane, rated at ten tons, used to lift
loads of steel into
various tanks, containing hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and molten
zinc
chloride and ammonia chloride mixture.   The second crane was a bottom
running
bridge crane, rated at ten tons, used to lift loads of steel also.  The
fabricated below-the-hook lifting devices were constructed of steel, and
were heavily corroded from
repeated exposure to caustic and corrosive vapors from the hydrochloric
acid and
sodium hydroxide tanks at elevated temperatures.  The steel materials to
be galvanized
were picked up with the below-the-hook lifting devices, were placed into
the various
tanks, then placed into the molten mixture of zinc chloride and ammonia
chloride at 850
degrees Fahrenheit.  There were no procedures, such as inspection or
preventative
maintenance, that outlined information for the below-the-hook lifting
devices to ensure
that the steel and welded joints did not corrode to the point of no longer
being
structurally capable of lifting the required ten ton capacities of loads
to be treated.
REFERENCE:  ASME B30.20-1999, Section 1.2.2, General Construction.
The load bearing structural components of a lifter shall be designed to
withstand the
stresses imposed by its rated load plus the weight of the lifter, with a
minimum design
factor of three, based on yield strength of the material, and with stress
ranges that do
not exceed the values given in ANSI/AWS D14.1 for the applicable
conditions.
NOTE:  Among other methods of abatement, one feasible and acceptable
method to correct this
hazard is to develop inspection and preventative maintenance procedures to
ensure that the
fabricated below-the-hook lifting devices are removed and repaired
appropriately in order to be
structurally capable of handling the intended load safely.