OSHA Inspection: ARRO CORP.

Issued

Dec 30, 2011

Abate by

Jun 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $4,500 · Current $3,150 Reduced

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): 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 combustible food grade dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazards while working at or near indoor dust collectors (bag houses), blender(s), storage/holding bin(s) which were not adequately designed to prevent or minimize employee exposure in the event of deflagration or other uncontrolled fire event, such as, but not limited to:    (a) Production Room 1 Process, First Floor: On or about August 10, 2011, the indoor unmarked/unlabeled pneumatic pulse type bag house dust collector handling combustible powdered drink mixes (e.g. cappuccino) lacked means of (1) explosion protection (2) fire protection and (3) deflagration isolation to connected upstream process equipment.    (b) Production Room 1 Process, First Floor: On or about August 10, 2011, the indoor Spencer pneumatic pulse type bag house dust collector handling combustible powdered drink mixes (e.g. cappuccino) lacked means of (1) explosion protection (2) fire protection and (3) deflagration isolation to connected upstream process equipment.    (c) Production Room 1 Process, First Floor: On or about August 10, 2011, the indoor storage/holding bin handling combustible powdered drink mixes (e.g. cappuccino) lacked means of (1) explosion protection (2) fire protection and (3) deflagration isolation to connected upstream and downstream process equipment.    (d)  Production Room 1 Process, Second Floor: On or about August 10, 2011, the indoor double-ribbon blender handling combustible powdered drink mixes (e.g. cappuccino) lacked means of deflagration isolation to connected downstream process equipment and which had deflagration discharge (manual feed doors) within employee occupied areas.    AMONG OTHER METHODS, A FEASIBLE METHOD TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD WOULD BE TO COMPLY WITH NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) STANDARDS - NFPA 61 "STANDARD FOR THE PREVENTION OF FIRES AND DUST EXPLOSIONS IN AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PROCESSING FACILITIES (2008)" SECTIONS 6.3.1; 10.4.3; 10.4.10.2 NFPA 654 "STANDARD FOR THE PREVENTION OF FIRE AND DUST EXPLOSIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, AND HANDLING OF COMBUSTIBLE PARTICULATE SOLIDS (2006)" SECTIONS 7.1.2; 7.1.4; 7.1.5; 7.2.3.2; 7.13; 9.1.1.1; 10 AND/OR TO COMPLY WITH FM GLOBAL PROPERTY LOSS PREVENTION DATA SHEET 7-76 "PREVENTION AND MITIGATION OF COMBUSTIBLE DUST EXPLOSIONS AND FIRE (2006)" SECTIONS 2.5, 2.6 FM GLOBAL PROPERTY LOSS PREVENTION DATA SHEET 7-73 "DUST COLLECTORS AND COLLECTION SYSTEMS (2008)" SECTION 2.1.

Issued

Dec 30, 2011

Abate by

Sep 19, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,700 · Current $1,890 Reduced

Hazardous substances 9135

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(a)(2): Employee(s) were exposed to an airborne concentration of Total Dust listed in Table Z-1 in excess of 15 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) as an 8-hour time-weighted average concentration (8-hr TWA):    a) On October 13, 2011, in the facility, an employee required to perform dry food grade batching/blending operations at production Room #1 was exposed to airborne Total Dust at an 8-hr time-weighted average level of 42.2 mg/m3, approximately 2.8 times the permissible exposure limit of 15 mg/m3 (8-hr TWA), during a 450 minute sampling period.  Zero exposure assumed for the 30 minutes not sampled.    b) On October 13, 2011, in the facility, an employee required to perform dry food grade packaging operations at production Room #4 was exposed to airborne Total Dust at an 8-hr time-weighted average level of 36.2 mg/m3, approximately 2.4 times the permissible exposure limit of 15 mg/m3 (8-hr TWA), during a 445 minute sampling period.  Zero exposure assumed for the 35 minutes not sampled.

Issued

Dec 30, 2011

Abate by

Sep 19, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(e): Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to reduce employee exposure below the permissible exposure limit:    On October 13, 2011, in the facility, employees required to batch/blend and package dry food grade products were exposed to airborne Total Dust in excess of the permissible exposure limit (see Citation 1, Item 2a).  Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to reduce employee exposures:    General methods of control that may be applicable to the processes include, but may not be limited to, the following:    1. Room #1 Batching/Blending: Install local exhaust ventilation at the hand-weighing area/scale to capture fugitive airborne dust before entering employee breathing zone.    2. Room #1 Batching/Blending: Evaluate efficiency of existing local exhaust ventilation at the blender/mixer to ensure adequate capture of fugitive dust.    3. Room #4 Bagging: Evaluate efficiency of existing local exhaust ventilation at the bagging equipment to ensure adequate capture of fugitive dust.    4. Develop and implement an employee job rotation schedule to reduce exposure levels by reducing exposure time.    Abatement normally will be multistep as follows:    STEP 1: Effective respiratory protection in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134 shall be provided and used by exposed employees as an interim protection measure until feasible engineering and/or administrative controls can be implemented, or whenever such controls fail to reduce employee exposure to within permissible exposure limits.    Abatement Period: 30 days    STEP 2: Submit to the Area Director, a written detailed plan of abatement outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and/or administrative measures to control employee exposure to Total Dust.  This plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions which must be consistent with the abatement dates required by this citation:    1. Evaluation of engineering/administrative control options;  2. Selection of optimum control methods and completion design;  3. Procurement, installation, and operation of selected control measures;  4. Testing and acceptable or modification/redesign of controls.    All proposed control measures shall be approved for each particular use by a competent Industrial Hygienist or other technically qualified person.    Abatement Period: 60 days    STEP 3: Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of feasible engineering and/or administrative controls upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving compliance.    Abatement Period: 90 days