OSHA Inspection: D & L GRAIN & FEED COMPANY

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,360 · Current $680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1):     Every open-sided floor or platform 4 feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level shall be guarded by a standard railing (or the equivalent as specified in paragraph (e)(3) of this section) on all open sides except where there is entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder.     a.     On the feed mill overhead platform where employees work to perform maintenance or clean equipment, there was a opensided floor which measured 27 inches by 54 inches which was not provided with a guardrail system theereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.    b.      On the north side of the small mixer platform where employees mix product and perform maintenance, there was a opening on the platform which measured 22 inches by 61 inches was not provided with a guardrail system thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.    c.       In the feed mill, the ends of the Bulk Tote platfrom was not provided with a guardrail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(a)(2):     Every ladderway floor opening or platform shall be guarded by a standard railing with standard toeboard on all exposed sides (except at entrance to opening), with the passage through the railing either provided with a swinging gate or so offset that a person cannot walk directly into the opening.    a.     On the second level of the grain elevator where employees enter to clean or perform maintenance, there was a ladderway opening which was not equiped with a gate or so offset to prevent employees from falling into ther ladderway opening thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.    b.      On the Roaster platform where employees run corn through the roaster for feed for animals, there was no gate to prevent employees from falling into the ladderway opening.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,600 · Current $800 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(2):     Every runway shall be guarded by a standard railing (or the equivalent as specified in paragraph (e)(3) of this section) on all open sides 4 feet or more above floor or ground level. Wherever tools, machine parts, or materials are likely to be used on the runway, a toeboard shall also be provided on each exposed side.  Runways used exclusively for special purposes (such as oiling, shafting, or filling tank cars) may have the railing on one side omitted where operating conditions necessitate such omission, providing the falling hazard is minimized by using a runway of not less than 18 inches wide. Where persons entering upon runways become thereby exposed to machinery, electrical equipment, or other danger not a falling hazard, additional guarding than is here specified may be essential for protection.    a.    On the west side of the grain elevator, the load out platform was not equipped with a midrail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.    b.     In the feed mill where employees mix feed and prepare the product for sale to the public, the feed platforms were not provided with midrails thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.    c.      In the feed mill, the Cleaner Platform was not provided with a mid rail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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.     In the Feed Mill where employees are required to access the top of the Molasses Tank to switch the valve from one tan to the the other tank, employees were not provided a safe means of accessing the area on top of the tank thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.24(c):     "Stair strength." Fixed stairways shall be designed and constructed to carry a load of five times the normal live load anticipated but never of less strength than to carry safely a moving concentrated load of 1,000 pounds.    a.    In the grain elevator where employees used the stairs from the first floor to the basement when cleaning and performing maintenance, the stairs were rotted out , broken and in general disrepair thereby exposing employees to a trip/fall hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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.     On the stairway from the first floor to the basement, a tube/pipe was installed across the stair treads increasing the rise height and changing the uniformity of a tread on a fixed stairway to the basement thereby exposing employees to a trip/fall hazard when accessing the basement from the stairway.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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.     On the stairway from the first floor to the basement was not provided with a midrail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.    b.      On the side of the grain elevator where employees enter and exit the building, the employer did not provide a handrail with included a top rail and midrail thereby exposing employees to a fall hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,360 · Current $680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.37(a)(3):     Exit routes must be free and unobstructed. No materials or equipment may be placed, either permanently or temporarily, within the exit route. The exit access must not go through a room that can be locked, such as a bathroom, to reach an exit or exit discharge, nor may it lead into a dead-end corridor. Stairs or a ramp must be provided where the exit route is not substantially level.    a.     In the stairway from the first floor to the basement, the employer installed a round vent pipe accross the stairway to the basement thereby exposing employees using the stairs to gain access to the basement to a trip/fall hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Apr 30, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,020 · Current $510 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.38(e):     Training. An employer must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.    a.     On the site of the grain elevator where corn and soybeans were processed, the employer did not provide training in the emergency action procedures for a safe ans orderly evacuation of the building including where to report and who to report to in the event of an emergency.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Apr 30, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,020 · Current $510 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.157(g)(1):     Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer shall also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting.    a.     On the site of grain elevator where corn and soy beans are processed, the employer did not provide fire extinguisher training to employees who were required to use fire extinguishers to extinguish incipient stage fires thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Apr 30, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,360 · Current $680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(ii):     Prior to permitting an employee to operate a powered industrial truck (except for training purposes), the employer shall ensure that each operator has successfully completed the training required by this paragraph (l), except as permitted by paragraph (l)(5).    29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii):     Training shall consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video tape, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace.    a.     On the site where grain products are moved and loaded onto trucks for sale, the employer did not provide safety training in the operation of powered industrial trucks thereby exposing employees to a struck-by hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,360 · Current $680 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1):     Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are-barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices,electronic safety devices, etc.    a.     In the cleaning room of the grain elevator there was an unguarded auger which moves ground corn from the cleaning room to the first floor thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    b.     In the basement of the grain elevator, there was a missing guard on the end of the Hammermill moter casing thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,700 · Current $850 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.219(e)(1)(i):     Where both runs of horizontal belts are seven (7) feet or less from the floor level, the guard shall extend to at least fifteen (15) inches above the belt or to a standard height, except that where both runs of a horizontal belt are 42 inches or less from the floor, the belt shall be fully enclosed in accordance with paragraphs (m) and (o) of this section.    a.     In the basement of the grain elevator where grain is received and delivered to the bins for storage, the belt and pulley for the auger moter was not fully enclosed thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    b.      In the cleaning room of the main elevator, there were three unguarded belts and pulleys on the north side of the main drive thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    c.       In the cleaning room of the main elevator, there were three unguarded belts and pulleys on the south side of the main drive thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    d.       In the feed mill where the air compressor was located, there was a unguarded belt and pulley on the Baldour High Effiency exhaust fan thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    e.        In the feed mill on the backside of the corn cleaner, there was an unguarded belt and pulley, thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    f.        In the feed mill on the backside of ther crimper, there were two unguarded belts and pulleys thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    g.       In the basement where the Hammermill is located, there were two unguarded belts and pulleys thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.    h.       In the Pre Mix Building on the air compressor platform, there was an unguarded belt and pulley thereby exposing employees to a caught-in hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Jan 22, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,200 · Current $600 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.253(b)(4)(iii):     Oxygen cylinders in storage shall be separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials (especially oil or grease), a minimum distance of 20 feet (6.1 m) or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet (1.5 m) high having a fire-resistance rating of at least one-half hour.    a.     In the maintenance department, there was a cylinder of oxygen stored within five feet of a cylinder of acetalene thereby exposing employees to a fire hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 1, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,020 · Current $510 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.303(f)(1):     Motors and appliances. Each disconnecting means required by this subpart for motors and appliances shall be legibly marked to indicate its purpose, unless located and arranged so the purpose is evident.    a.   On the main floor of the grain elevator, the was a disconnect which was not marked with the equipment it operated or controlled in the main electrical room, thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Jan 22, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,020 · Current $510 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.304(g)(5):     Grounding path. The path to ground from circuits, equipment, and enclosures shall be permanent, continuous, and effective.    a.     On the main floor of the grain elevator where corn and soy beans were processed, the Portable Cooler industrial fan did not have a ground prong thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.

Issued

Jan 16, 2013

Abate by

Feb 21, 2013

Penalty

Initial $1,020 · Current $510 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.305(b)(1)(ii):     Unused openings in cabinets, boxes, and fittings shall be effectively closed.    a.     In the maintenance shop beside the overhead garage door, there was a unused opening in the electrical outlet thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.    b.      In the Pre-Mix building where specific materials are stored and mixed for retail sale, there were three unused openings on the energized electrical panel thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.    c.       In the Pre-Mix building on the electrical disconnect for the air compresser, there was an unused opening in the electrical unit thereby exposing employees to a contact hazard.