OSHA Inspection: GARDNER - GIBSON

Issued

Jul 20, 2012

Abate by

Nov 30, 2012

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $1,700 Reduced

Hazardous substances E200

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 expose to combustible cellulose dust deflagration, explosion or other fire hazards while working at or near an indoor bag type dust collector that was not adequately designed to prevent or minimize employee exposure in the event of deflagration or other uncontrolled fire events, such as, but not limited to:     (a) Cement Room, Aluminum Coating Process:  On or about February 14, 2012, the indoor Pactecon pneumatic pulse jet bag type dust collector handling combustible cellulose dust lacked means of (1) explosion protection (2) fire protection and (3) deflagration isolation to connected upstream process equipment and collection drums.    AMONG OTHER METHODS, A FEASIBLE METHOD TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD WOULD BE TO COMPLY WITH NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA) STANDARDS 654 STANDARD FOR THE PREVENTION OF FIRE AND DUST EXPLOSIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING AND HANDLING OF COMBUSTIBLE PARTICULATE SOLIDS (2006) SECTION 7.1.2; 7.1.4; 7.1.5; 7.13; 9.1.1.1; 10 AND/OR TO COMPLY WITH FM GLOBAL PROERTY LOSS PREVENTION DATA SHEET 7-76 PREVENTION AND MITIGATION OF COMBUSTIBLE DUST EXPLOSIONS AND FIRE (2006) SECTION 2.3; 2.4 AND 2.5 FM GLOBAL PROPERTY LOSS PREVENTION DATA SHEET 7-73 DUST COLLECTORS AND COLLECTION SYSTEMS (2008) SECTION 2.1.

Issued

Jul 20, 2012

Abate by

Aug 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,400 Reduced

Hazardous substances 8111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1): The employer shall administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program, as described in paragraphs (c) through (o) of this section, whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels measured on the A scale (slow response) or, equivalently, a dose of fifty percent. For purposes of the hearing conservation program, employee noise exposures shall be computed in accordance with appendix A and Table G-16a, and without regard to any attenuation provided by the use of personal protective equipment.    a. An employee in the production area was exposed to continuous noise at 79.6% of the permissible daily dose level, when measured with a 80 dB threshold, or equivalent sound level of approximately 88.3 dBA for the 480 minute sampling time on May 22, 2012.     Yet, the employer had not implemented a continuing hearing conservation program.

Issued

Jul 20, 2012

Abate by

Aug 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,400 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1): Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new physical or health hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals. Chemical-specific information must always be available through labels and material safety data sheets.    a. On or about February 14, 2012, in the work area, employees, temporary employees and/or rehired employees were not trained in the hazards associated with chemicals such as, but not limited to, aluminum paste and combustible cellulose dust.

Issued

Jul 20, 2012

Abate by

Aug 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,100 · Current $1,000 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(2)(i):  The employer did not ensure that each employee can demonstrate knowledge of at least the following:     A. The contents of this section.   B. The purpose and description of the medical surveillance program required by this paragraph (k) of this section.        a. On or about February 14, 2012, at the site, employees were exposed to chromium VI  during a batch making process. The employer did not train the employees on the chromium VI standard, the medical surveillance paragraph and availability of the standard.

Issued

Jul 20, 2012

Abate by

Aug 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2)(i): An employer may provide respirators at the request of employees or permit employees to use their own respirators, if the employer determines that such respirator use will not in itself create a hazard. If the employer determines that any voluntary respirator use is permissible, the employer shall provide the respirator users with the information contained in Appendix D to this section ("Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under the Standard"); and    a. On or about February 14, 2012, in the work area, employees voluntarily used dust masks but were not provided with the information in Appendix D of this section.

Issued

Jul 20, 2012

Abate by

Aug 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii): An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator's performance shall be conducted at least once every three years.    a. On or about February 14, 2012, in the plant, the forklift drivers were not evaluated every three years on driving the forklifts as required by this standard.