OSHA Inspection: PALL CORPORATION

Issued

Dec 18, 2012

Abate by

Feb 6, 2013

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $7,000

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 were free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause burns, serious injury or death in that employees were exposed to fire and explosion hazards associated with the drying/evaporating of flammable vapors inside an industrial oven.      For the Pall Corp. facility at 4245 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901, as observed on or about 09/17/2012, two industrial dryers were present for the drying of parts that had been dipped in ethanol and other flammable solvents. On 09/14/2012, one of the industrial ovens exploded resulting in the roof and walls of the oven and room it was housed in being destroyed and the hospitalization of two employees. The following hazards were observed to be present with both of the ovens:      a) Safety devices such as air flow switches on the ovens, which were designed to shut off the heating coils in event of a loss of exhaust or recirculation fan suction, were not inspected to ensure correct and safe operability. On or prior to 09/14/2012, one of the ovens exhaust fan motors blew out a fuse, yet the ovens electric heating coils continued to run. On 09/14/2012 at approximately 06:22AM, this oven exploded.       b) Electrical modifications to the ovens control system had been made to both ovens and drawings were not generated to depict the modifications, nor had any documented safety study been accomplished to ensure that modifications did not adversely affect the safe operation of the ovens.      c) Up to date ventilation drawings, data and air flow safety calculations were not available for the ovens to ensure that the lower explosive limit was never exceeded during the drying process.       d) Per the design ventilation rates, even when exhaust fans were functioning as designed, adequate airflow was not present to ensure that the concentration of flammable vapors was well below the LEL. For the oven that exploded on 09/14/2012, the exhaust ventilation fan was rated for 900-1000 CFM per Wisconsin Oven Pall Corp. design drawing SWT-4-10121 and the fan name plate, yet, based on the ethanol mixture loading of the oven which occurred on 09/14/2012, a safety ventilation rate of 6,881 CFM, as outlined in NFPA 86 calculations, would have been necessary to ensure a non-explosive atmosphere. This is over 6 times the ventilation rate that the exhaust fan was designed for. LEL concentration meters were not present, and the only safety features for the ovens were ventilation fans/blowers.      e) Operating procedures for the safe handling and loading of flammable liquids to the ovens did not outline methods or procedures to ensure that the amount of flammables added to the ovens would not exceed the lower explosive limit.     f) Operators and employees using the ovens and/or working in the area were not trained to understand the ovens operational controls. Employees would often turn off timer alarms because they were loud, but the purpose of all timer alarms was not understood, nor was the purpose of all digital controllers on the oven control box.      g) Maintenance employees responsible for the upkeep and repair of ovens were not trained on the safe operation and setting/adjustment of air flow safety switches and also were not trained to understand the fire and explosion hazards of flammable solvents used such as ethanol.

Issued

Dec 18, 2012

Abate by

Jan 8, 2013

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $1,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(7)(i)(a): All electrical wiring and equipment was not installed according to the requirements of Subpart S of this part:    a) For the Pall Corp. facility at 4245 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901, as observed on or about 09/17/2012, 243.5 gallons of a class IB flammable liquid were stored in the oven room on a weekly basis, and flammable liquids were openly transfered in the area next to the industrial ovens from a distillation machine and solvent vacuum traps to 55 gallon drums via valves. Electrical conduit, boxes, motors and other electrical equipment in the storage room were not rated and approved for Class 1, Division 1 Hazardous Locations.

Issued

Dec 18, 2012

Abate by

Dec 26, 2012

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $1,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(2)(ii)(b)(2): The quantity of liquid that may be located outside of an inside storage room or storage cabinet in a building or in any one fire area of a building exceeded 120 gallons of Class IB, IC, II, or III liquids in containers was exceeded:    a) For the Pall Corp. facility at 4245 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901, as observed on or about 09/17/2012, 243.5 gallons of  class IB flammable liquids were stored on a weekly basis in the oven room. Employees performing maintenance in the room were exposed to fire/explosion hazards on a weekly basis associated with the over accumulation of class IB flammable liquids stored outside a flammable storage cabinet or inside flammable storage rooms.

Issued

Dec 18, 2012

Abate by

Dec 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $7,000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(c)(2)(i): Materials for piping, valves, or fittings were not steel, nodular iron, or malleable iron:    a) For the Pall Corp. facility at 4245 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901, as observed on or about 09/17/2012, class I flammable liquids were transferred through plastic, PVC piping into two solvent vacuum collection traps in the oven room. Grounding and bonding was lacking, and employees in the area were exposed to fire and/or explosion hazards asociated with the buildup of static electricity from transferring flammable liquids through plastic, non-conductive piping.

Issued

Dec 18, 2012

Abate by

Dec 26, 2012

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.106(e)(6)(ii): Class I liquids were dispensed into containers without the nozzle and container electrically interconnected:    a) For the Pall Corp. facility at 4245 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901, as observed on or about 09/17/2012, a Class I flammable ethanol mixture in the bubble point room (denoted waste alcohol) was poured/dispensed from plastic and metal containers through a metal funnel which emptied through plastic, non-conductive tubing into a 55 gallon waste alcohol collection drum located in the oven room. Electrical Conductivity was not maintained between the dispensing container, funnel, and 55 gallon collection drum. This condition exposed employees in the area to potential fire/explosion hazards associated with the buildup of static electricity from the poured flammable liquid and the flowing flammable liquid through plastic, non-conductive tubing between the dispensing container, funnel and collection drum/container.

Issued

Dec 18, 2012

Abate by

Dec 31, 2012

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $7,000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1): Employees were not provided effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a new hazard that the employees had not been previously trained about was introduced into their work area:    For the Pall Corp. facility at 4245 Evans Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901, as observed on or about 09/17/2012:    a) Maintenance employees were not effectively trained on the hazards of flammable liquids used in ovens that they serviced. Maintenance empoyees who serviced and changed parts on industrial ovens handling ethanol and other class I flammable liquids were not aware of what the flammable/explosive properties were or what a lower and upper flammable/explosive limit was.      b) Maintenance employees who operated an ethanol still and dispensed class IB flammables into containers were not aware of what the flammable/explosive properties of the chemicals were or what a lower and upper flammable/explosive limit was.