OSHA Inspection: ALPHA OMEGA COLLISION CENTER

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 21, 2011

Penalty

Initial $2,550 · Current $2,550

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 was free from recognized hazards which were likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that, employees were exposed to chemical exposure hazards:    a)  On or about June 16, 2011, and at times prior, an employee was exposed to excessive levels of hexamethylene diisocyanate homopolymer (HDIH) while he spray applied a variety of coatings to automobiles and automobile parts in an inadequately ventilated spray booth.  The employee was determined to be exposed to approximately 1.23 mg/m3 of HDIH during a 19 minute sampling period on June 16, 2011.    Abatement:  Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct the hazard is to perform spray finishing operations within an adequately ventilated spray booth that reduces the HDIH exposure level to the recommended exposure levels of 0.5 mg/m3 as an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) and 1.0 mg/m3 as a 15-minute short term exposure limit (STEL).  Both the TWA and STEL are Manufacturer's Guideline Levels (MGL) established by Bayer Polymers, a major manufacturer of HDIH.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(iii):  The employer did not identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; including a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazards and identification of the contaminants chemical state and physical form:    a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, the employer did not protect employees against exposure to a variety of hazardous chemicals including but not limited to isocyanates by identifying and evaluating the respiratory hazards in the workplace and basing the respiratory selection process on that evaluation.  Employees performed spray finishing operations with half-face air purifying respirators which are not recommended for use with isocyanates unless the spraying is conducted in a downdraft booth.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1):  The employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employees ability to use a respirator, before the employee was fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace:    a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees wore half-face elastomeric respirators without first being medically evaluated to ensure that they were physiologically able to wear the respirator.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2):  The employer shall ensure that an employee using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator is fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator, whenever a different respirator facepiece (size, style, model or make) is used, and at least annually thereafter:      a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, paint shop employees were exposed to isocyanates and other hazardous chemicals while they performed spray finishing work using half-face respirators which had not been fit tested.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Nov 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.22(d)(1):  On every building or other structure, or part thereof, used for mercantile, business, industrial or storage purposes, the loads approved by the building official were not marked on plates of approved design and securely affixed to the building:      a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to struck-by or crushed-by hazards while they worked in the office area where shop materials were stored on the ceiling/roof structure.  The employer had not posted the load rating for the roof structure.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Nov 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1):  Open-sided floors and/or platforms four feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level were not guarded with standard railings (or equivalent) and toeboards:      a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to fall hazards of greater than 8 feet when they accessed the roof of the office to store and retrieve equipment and other work related materials.  The open side of the floor above the office roof was not guarded with standard railings or any other type of fall protection.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Nov 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(d)(1):  Every flight of stairs having our or more risers was not equipped with standard stair railings or standard handrails as specified in paragraphs (d)(1)(i) through (v) of this section:      a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to fall hazards while they used the staircase leading to the roof above the office because it was not equipped with standard railings.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Nov 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2):  The employer did not verify, through a written certification, that the required workplace hazard assessment had been performed:    a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, the employer did not verify, through written certification, that a hazard assessment of the workplace had been performed to determine the type of personal protective equipment necessary to protect employees from such hazards as chemicals, flying chips and particles, power tools, welding equipment and noise.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(d)(4)(iv):  Every inside storage room shall be provided with either a gravity or mechanical exhaust ventilation system.  Such system shall be designed to provide for a complete change of air within the room at least six times per hour.  If a mechanical exhaust system is used, it shall be controlled by a switch outside the door.  The ventilating equipment and any lighting fixtures shall be operated by the same switch:    a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to fire and chemical exposure hazards because the employer did not ensure that the light fixture for the paint mixing room and the ventilation were operated by the same switch.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(6)(ii):  Class I liquids shall not be dispensed into containers unless the nozzle and container are electrically interconnected:    a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to fire hazards while they pumped flammable liquids (thinner) from drums into containers which were not bonded to the fill stem.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(d)(4)(i):  Inside storage rooms were not constructed to meet the required fire-resistive rating for their use.  Openings to other rooms or buildings were not provided with self-closing fire doors:     a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to fire hazards because the employer failed to ensure that properly functioning self-closing fire doors separated the paint mixing and storage room from the rest of the facility.  Doors did not self-close and were left open.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Nov 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(5): Fan blade guards, where the periphery of the blades was less than seven feet above the floor or working level, had openings larger than one half inch:    a)  On or about June 1, 2011 and at times prior, employees were exposed to the unguarded blades of a box fan mounted by the paint storage and mixing room.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Nov 8, 2011

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(b)(2)(i):  In completed installations, each outlet box did not have a cover, faceplate, or fixture canopy:      a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, employees were exposed to electrical shock because there was no cover on a wall outlet box near in the paint department.

Issued

Nov 7, 2011

Abate by

Dec 7, 2011

Penalty

Initial $1,530 · Current $1,530

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): The employer did not develop, implement, and/or maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program which describes how the criteria specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g), and (h) will be met:      a)  On or about June 1, 2011, and at times prior, the employer failed to fully develop and implement a hazard communication program in order to inform employees of the health hazards associated with the chemicals used in the paint and body shop.