OSHA Inspection: B & B PLASTICS, INCORPORATED

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,220 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.24(b):     "Where fixed stairs are required." Fixed stairs shall be provided for access from one structure level to another where operations necessitate regular travel between levels, and for access to operating platforms at any equipment which requires attention routinely during operations. Fixed stairs shall also be provided where access to elevations is daily or at each shift for such purposes as gauging, inspection, regular maintenance, etc., where such work may expose employees to acids, caustics, gases, or other harmful substances, or for which purposes the carrying of tools or equipment by hand is normally required. (It is not the intent of this section to preclude the use of fixed ladders for access to elevated tanks, towers, and similar structures, overhead traveling cranes, etc., where the use of fixed ladders is common practice.) Spiral stairways shall not be permitted except for special limited usage and secondary access situations where it is not practical to provide a conventional stairway. Winding stairways may be installed on tanks and similar round structures where the diameter of the structure is not less than five (5) feet.    a. At the workplace, employees did not have stairway access to a work platform on the Vecoplan grinder that was approximately 48" from the floor, exposing the employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,220 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.24(f):     "Stair treads." All treads shall be reasonably slip-resistant and the nosings shall be of nonslip finish. Welded bar grating treads without nosings are acceptable providing the leading edge can be readily identified by personnel descending the stairway and provided the tread is serrated or is of definite nonslip design. Rise height and tread width shall be uniform throughout any flight of stairs including any foundation structure used as one or more treads of the stairs.      a.  At the workplace, employees used the fixed industrial stairs used to access the work platform on Cumberland grinder #1 did not have uniform rise height throughout the stairs, exposing employees to a fall hazard.  The distance from the concrete floor to the first stair was approximately 14 inches.  The distance from the first stair to the next stair was approximately 11 inches.        b. At the workplace, employees used the fixed industrial stairs used to access the work platform on Cumberland grinder #2 did not have uniform rise height throughout the stairs, exposing employees to a fall hazard.  The distance from the concrete floor to the first stair was approximately 9 inches.  The distance from one stair to the next stair was approximately 12 and 1/2 inches.    c. At the workplace, employees used the fixed industrial stairs used to access the work platform on Cumberland grinder #3 did not have uniform rise height throughout the stairs, exposing employees to a fall hazard. The distance from the concrete floor to the first stair was approximately 16 inches.  The distance from the second stair to the work platform was approximately 14 inches.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,120 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.24(h):     "Railings and handrails." Standard railings shall be provided on the open sides of all exposed stairways and stair platforms. Handrails shall be provided on at least one side of closed stairways preferably on the right side descending. Stair railings and handrails shall be installed in accordance with the provisions of 1910.23.      a. At the workplace, it was found that the fixed stairway on Cumberland grinder #1 had only one handrail on the left side, exposing employees to fall hazards when accessing the grinder platforms.     b. At the workplace, it was found that the fixed stairway on Cumberland grinder #2, only had one handrail on the right side, exposing employees to fall hazards when accessing the grinder platforms.     c. At the workplace, it was found that the fixed stairway on Cumberland grinder #3, did not have a handrail, exposing employees to fall hazards when accessing the grinder platforms.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(e)(1):     A standard railing shall consist of top rail, intermediate rail, and posts, and shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from upper surface of top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp level. The top rail shall be smooth-surfaced throughout the length of the railing. The intermediate rail shall be approximately halfway between the top rail and the floor, platform, runway, or ramp. The ends of the rails shall not overhang the terminal posts except where such overhang does not constitute a projection hazard.      a. At the workplace, employees used the fixed industrial stairway accessing the work platform on Cumberland Grinder #1 did not have an intermediate rail, exposing employees to a fall hazard.    b.  At the workplace, the employees used the fixed industrial stairway accessing the work platform on Cumberland Grinder #2 did not have an intermediate rail, exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.24(e):     "Angle of stairway rise." Fixed stairs shall be installed at angles to the horizontal of between 30 deg. and 50 deg. Any uniform combination of rise/tread dimensions may be used that will result in a stairway at an angle to the horizontal within the permissible range. Table D-1 gives rise/tread dimensions which will produce a stairway within the permissible range, stating the angle to the horizontal produced by each combination. However, the rise/tread combinations are not limited to those given in Table D-1.     a. At the workplace, on or about June 14, 2012, it was found that the fixed industrial stairway on the Cumberland grinder #1 had a rise angle of 70 degrees, which is greater than the maximum allowable angle of 50 degrees, exposing employees to a fall hazard.  b. At the workplace, on or about June 14, 2012, it was found that the fixed industrial stairway on the Cumberland grinder #2 had a rise angle of 55 degrees, which is greater than the maximum allowable angle of 50 degrees, exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.24(d):     "Stair width." Fixed stairways shall have a minimum width of 22 inches.      a. At the workplace, on or about June 14, 2012, employees used a ladder daily on the Cumberland grinder #1 to access a work platform 69" from the floor.  The stairway was approximately 20 inches wide, exposing the employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $1,680 Reduced

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.  At the work site, the employer had not developed a continuing, effective monitoring program for each exposed employee.  An employee operating Cumberland grinder #3 was exposed to noise at 334.5% of the permissible daily noise (8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 90 dBA) or an equivalent sound level of approximately 98.7 dBA (90 threshold) during the 420 minute sampling period on June 14, 2012.    b. At the work site, the employer had not developed a continuing, effective monitoring program for each exposed employee.  An employee operating Vecoplan grinder was exposed to noise at 141.7% of the permissible daily noise (8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 90 dBA) or an equivalent sound level of approximately 92.5 dBA (90 threshold) during the 420 minute sampling period on June 14, 2012.    c.  At the work site, the employer had not developed a continuing, effective monitoring program for each exposed employee.  An employee operating Cumberland grinder #1 was exposed to noise at 331.8% of the permissible daily noise (8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 90 dBA) or an equivalent sound level of approximately 98.6 dBA (90 threshold) during the 420 minute sampling period on June 14, 2012.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $1,680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1):     The employer shall assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer shall:    Select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment; communicate selection decisions to each affected employee; and,select PPE that properly fits each affected employee.    a.  At the workplace, employees operated three Cumberland and one Vecoplan plastic grinding machines to process plastics.  The employer did not have a written job hazard analysis for employees exposed to hazards which include, but were not limited to  noise and dust.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $1,680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1):     Energy control program. The employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative.    a.  At the work site, employees operated equipment such as (but not limited to) one Vecoplan and three Cumberland grinding machines to process recycled plastics for sale.  The employer had not developed a written energy control program (lock-out/tag-out) for employees to use when cleaning equipment and/or maintaining equipment.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,120 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.176(b):     Secure storage. Storage of material shall not create a hazard. Bags, containers, bundles, etc., stored in tiers shall be stacked, blocked, interlocked and limited in height so that they are stable and secure against sliding or collapse.        a. At the workplace, on or about June 14, 2012, cardboard containers of stored plastic material in the areas between production and shipping, weighing approximately 300-1800 pounds and stacked 3 to 5 high, had partially collapsed or shifted positions, exposing exmployees to struck-by hazards.    b.  At the workplace, on or about June 14, 2012,  gaylord boxes of processed and unprocessed plastic were stored between the production and shipping areas.  The boxes, weighing approximately 300-1700 pounds and stacked 3 to 4 high, had shifted positions or leaked material, exposing employees to struck-by hazards.    c.  At the workplace, on or about June 14, 2012, bundles of material of unknown weights were stored between the production and shipping areas.  The bundles had been stacked throughout the work site in visibly leaning stacks, exposing the employees to struck-by hazards.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $1,680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i):     The employer shall ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in this paragraph (l).        a.  At the worksite, on or about June 14, 2012, employees operated forklifts to load and unload products from semi trailers.  The employer had not provided employees with training on the operation of the forklift.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $4,200 · Current $1,680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1):     Employers shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program which at least describes how the criteria specified in paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of this section for labels and other forms of warning, material safety data sheets, and employee information and training will be met, and which also includes the following:    a. The employer had not developed a written hazard communication program for employees working with hazardous chemicals such as (but not limited to) hydraulic fluid.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(1):     Chemical manufacturers and importers shall obtain or develop a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical they produce or import. Employers shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use.    a.  At the work site,  the employer did not have any material safety data sheets (MSDS) at the work site for hazardous chemicals used by employees daily.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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 chemical 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 safety data sheets.    a.  At the work site, employees used chemicals that included (but were not limited to) hydraulic fluid.  The employer did not have a training program about hazardous chemicals for employees upon hire and when new chemicals were introduced to the work site.

Issued

Aug 29, 2012

Abate by

Sep 28, 2012

Penalty

Initial $700 · Current $280 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1904.40(a):     Basic requirement. When an authorized government representative asks for the records you keep under Part 1904, you must provide copies of the records within four (4) business hours.        a. At the workplace, the employer did not provide an OSHA 300 log within four hours when requested.