OSHA Inspection: SOUTH SHORE RECYCLING, LLC

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Nov 8, 2013

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,900 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): General. The employer shall provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. The employer may discontinue an employee's medical evaluations when the employee is no longer required to use a respirator.     a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were required to wear negative pressure air purifying respirators.  The employer failed to medically evaluate all employees prior to being required to wear respiratory protection.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Nov 8, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2): The employer shall ensure that an employee using a tight-fitting facepiece respirator is fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator, whenever a different respirator facepiece (size, style, model or make) is used, and at least annually thereafter.   a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were required to wear tight fitting air purifying respirators.  The employer failed to ensure that all employees had been fit tested initially and annually thereafter to ensure a proper fit of the required respirator.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Nov 8, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k): Training and information. This paragraph requires the employer to provide effective training to employees who are required to use respirators. The training must be comprehensive, understandable, and recur annually, and more often if necessary. This paragraph also requires the employer to provide the basic information on respirators in Appendix D of this section to employees who wear respirators when not required by this section or by the employer to do so.       a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were required to wear tight fitting air purifying respirators.  The employer failed to ensure that all employees required to wear respiratory protection were provided with training which included but was not limited to the proper use, limitations, and maintenance of the respiratory protection.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Oct 11, 2013

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,900 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.141(d)(2)(iv): Individual hand towels or sections thereof, of cloth or paper, air blowers or clean individual sections of continuous cloth toweling, convenient to the lavatories, shall be provided.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were not provided with individual hand towels or air blowers to properly dry hands and/or face after washing and prior to eating, drinking or smoking.  Employees were exposed to hazards including, but not limited to lead, chromium (VI), cadmium and arsenic.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Jan 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $700 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1025(d)(1)(ii): With the exception of monitoring under paragraph (d)(3), the employer shall collect full shift (for at least 7 continuous hours) personal samples including at least one sample for each shift for each job classification in each work area.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to lead when crushing radiators in a bailer and handling, cutting and torching metals.  The employer failed to conduct full shift sampling for each job classification and each work area to ensure all potential employee exposures had been evaluated.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Nov 8, 2013

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $2,800

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(d)(1): General. Each employer who has a workplace or work operation covered by this section shall determine the 8-hour TWA exposure for each employee exposed to chromium (VI). This determination shall be made in accordance with either paragraph (d)(2) or paragraph (d)(3) of this section.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to chromium (VI) when handling, cutting and torching metals including, but not limited to stainless steel.  The employer failed to determine employee 8 hour exposure to chromium (VI) and if the exposure level(s) were greater than the action level.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Oct 18, 2013

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(1): Provision and use. Where a hazard is present or is likely to be present from skin or eye contact with chromium (VI), the employer shall provide appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment at no cost to employees, and shall ensure that employees use such clothing and equipment.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to chromium (VI) when handling, cutting and torching metals including, but not limited to stainless steel.    The employer failed to provide at no cost and require the use of appropriate clothing and personal protective equipment.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Oct 18, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(2)(ii): The employer shall ensure that no employee removes chromium (VI)-contaminated protective clothing or equipment from the workplace, except for those employees whose job it is to launder, clean, maintain, or dispose of such clothing or equipment.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to chromium (VI) when handling, cutting and torching metals including, but not limited to stainless steel.  The employer failed to prevent employees from leaving the workplace with chromium (VI) contaminated clothing.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Oct 18, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(2): Change rooms. The employer shall assure that change rooms are equipped with separate storage facilities for protective clothing and equipment and for street clothes, and that these facilities prevent cross-contamination.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to skin or eye hazards from exposure to chromium (VI) when handling, cutting and torching metals including, but not limited to stainless steel.  The employer failed to provide separate storage facilities for dirty protective clothing and street clothes to prevent cross contamination.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Oct 11, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(4)(ii): The employer shall ensure that employees do not enter eating and drinking areas with protective work clothing or equipment unless surface chromium (VI) has been removed from the clothing and equipment by methods that do not disperse chromium (VI) into the air or onto an employee's body.    a.     On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to skin or eye hazards from exposure to chromium (VI) when handling, cutting and torching metals including, but not limited to stainless steel.  The employees were allowed to enter the lunchroom where food and beverages were consumed with contaminated protective clothing and equipment.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Nov 8, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(1)(iii): Employers shall include chromium (VI) in the hazard communication program established to comply with the HCS (� 1910.1200). Employers shall ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of chromium (VI) and to safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the requirements of HCS and paragraph (l)(2) of this section.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were exposed to chromium (VI) when handling, cutting and torching metals including, but not limited to stainless steel.    The employer failed to provide training to employees which informed employees of the hazards and regulations related to exposure to chromium(VI).

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Jan 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $2,800

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1027(d)(1)(iii): Eight-hour TWA exposures shall be determined for each employee on the basis of one or more personal breathing zone air samples reflecting full shift exposure on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area. Where several employees perform the same job tasks, in the same job classification, on the same shift, in the same work area, and the length, duration, and level of cadmium exposures are similar, an employer may sample a representative fraction of the employees instead of all employees in order to meet this requirement. In representative sampling, the employer shall sample the employee(s) expected to have the highest cadmium exposures.    a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were potentially exposed to cadmium when required to to handle, cut and torch metals.  The employer failed to perform 8 hour sampling to determine employee exposure on all job classifications for all employees who had potential exposure to cadmium.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Jan 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1027(d)(3)(i): If the initial monitoring or periodic monitoring reveals employee exposures to be at or above the action level, the employer shall monitor at a frequency and pattern needed to represent the levels of exposure of employees and where exposures are above the PEL to assure the adequacy of respiratory selection and the effectiveness of engineering and work practice controls. However, such exposure monitoring shall be performed at least every six months. The employer, at a minimum, shall continue these semi-annual measurements unless and until the conditions set out in paragraph (d)(3)(ii) are met.    a.       On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, the employer had performed initial monitoring which indicated that employees were exposed to cadmium at levels greater than the action level.  The employer failed to perform additional exposure monitoring at least every six months to ensure a representative sample had been determined and that employees were adequately protected.

Issued

Oct 7, 2013

Abate by

Nov 25, 2013

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1027(m)(4)(i): The employer shall train each employee who is potentially exposed to cadmium in accordance with the requirements of this section. The employer shall institute a training program, ensure employee participation in the program, and maintain a record of the contents of such program.   a.  On or about May 3, 2013, in the facility, employees were potentially exposed to cadmium when required to perform saw, torch and plasma cutting on various metals.  The employer failed to provide employees with proper training on cadmium including, but not limited to the health hazards from exposure.