OSHA Inspection: PHILADELPHIA MACARONI COMPANY

Issued

Feb 12, 2014

Abate by

Aug 17, 2014

Penalty

Initial $4,250 · Current $2,975 Reduced

Hazardous substances 81108111

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(b)(1): When employees are subject to sound exceeding those listed in table G-16, feasible administrative or engineering controls were not utilized:   a.) Press Room - On or about November 8, 2013, Employees, who were operating press machines that make noodles were exposed to continuous noise at 235.0% of the exposure level of 90 dBA or an eight hour time weighted average (TWA) noise exposure of 96.2 dBA. This exposure was observed occurring over a 462 minute sampling period with a zero exposure was assumed for the 18 minutes not included in the sample.  The employer did not use feasible engineering controls or administrative controls to reduce exposure for the employees exposed over the permissible exposure limit of 90 dBA.   Feasible abatement methods include but are not limited to:    1)  Administratively controlling the time employees work in the high noise areas to reduce their average noise exposure to below 90 dbA.   2) Installing equipment with noise reducing properties such as pasta blowers with low noise level fans or enclosure of the blowers to reduce noise.   3) Installation of mufflers on the air intake or exhaust of blowers.  4) Vibration isolation of blowers associated duct work and other processing equipment.  ABATEMENT STEPS ARE AS FOLLOW:      STEP 1 -A written detailed plan of abatement shall be submitted to the Area Director outlining a schedule for the implementation of engineering and/or administrative measures to control employee exposures to noise referenced in this citation.  This plan shall include, at a minimum, target dates for the following actions which must be consistent with the dates required by this citation:      1.  Evaluation of engineering/administrative control options;  2.  Selection of optimum control method and completion of design;  3.  procurement, installation and operation of selected control measures;     4.  Testing and acceptance or modification and/redesign of controls.      All proposed control measures shall be evaluated for each particular  use by a competent industrial hygienist or other technically qualified person.  Ninety (90) day progress reports are required during the abatement period.   STEP 2 - Abatement shall have been completed by the implementation of feasible controls upon verification of their effectiveness in achieving  compliance.