OSHA Inspection: CONCRETE SAFETY SYSTEMS, LLC

Issued

Jan 14, 2013

Abate by

Feb 16, 2013

Penalty

Initial $3,150 · Current $1,890 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4):  When the employer decided that its employees would enter permit spaces, the employer did not develop and implement a written permit space entry program that complied with 29 CFR 1910.146:  (a) Concrete Safety Systems, LLC, 9190 Old Route 22, Bethel, Pennsylvania - The employer decided to have employees enter aggregate bins to perform maintenance tasks.  The employer did not develop and implement a written permit space program which complied with 29 CFR 1910.146.  On or about September 13, 2012, two employees entered aggregate bin number 2 to weld a piece of steel plate onto the side of the bin to patch a hole/area of corrosion on the side of this bin, and the entering employees did not use an entry permit (the program did not include one), did not conduct atmospheric testing (the program did not include provisions for this), did not use an attendant, did not lockout/tagout all hazardous energy sources, did not empty the contents of the bin prior to entry, and did not use retrieval equipment for safe non-entry rescue.  In addition, the employer's existing program did not include provisions for rescue and emergency services, particularly high-angle rescues.

Issued

Jan 14, 2013

Abate by

Feb 16, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.252(c)(2)(i)(C):  Mechanical ventilation was not provided in confined spaces or where the welding space contained partitions, balconies, or other structural barriers to the extent that they significantly obstructed cross ventilation:  (a) Concrete Safety Systems, LLC, 9190 Old Route 22, Bethel, Pennsylvania - Two employees entered aggregate bin number 2 to weld a piece of steel plate onto the side of the bin to patch a hole/area of corrosion on the side of this bin and did not use mechanical ventilation while working in this confined space, on or about September 13, 2012.

Issued

Jan 14, 2013

Abate by

Feb 16, 2013

Penalty

Initial $3,150 · Current $1,890 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d):  The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the following elements and actions and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1) through (d)(6):  (a) Concrete Safety Systems, LLC, 9190 Old Route 22, Bethel, Pennsylvania - Two employees entered aggregate bin number 2 to weld a piece of steel plate onto the side of the bin to patch a hole/area of corrosion on the side of this bin, on or about September 13, 2012.  The employees applied lockout/tagout to the conveyor that supplied material to the bin.  However, these employees had exposure to a caught-in hazard from the two gates located at the bottom of the bin because the employees did not de-energize the air that controlled the gates [per 1910.147(d)(2) requirements].  As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [(d)(6)], did not get implemented, and during the entry into bin number 2, on or about September 13, 21012, inadvertent selection of bin number 2 on the batch plant computerized system occurred, which caused the two gates located on the bottom of this bin to actuate, dropping material and tools out of the bin into the weigh hopper.