OSHA Inspection: GINGRICH ENTERPRISES, INC.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(c): Employees were exposed to an airborne concentration of chromium (VI) which exceeded 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air, as an 8-hour time-weighted average.      On January 30, 2014, an employee was exposed to chromium (VI) while welding on stainless steel to fabricate parts. Results indicate an actual employee exposure of 23 ug/m3 for the 117 minutes sampled. Exposure calculations assuming a zero increment for the 363 minutes not sampled result in an 8-hour time-weighted average of 5.6 ug/m3, 1.12 times over the permissible exposure limit of 5 ug/m3. This limit was established to prevent chromium (VI) poisoning. The exposure level was derived from one sample collected over a 117-minute period.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(g)(1)(iv): The employer did not provide each employee an appropriate respirator during work operations where the employer had not implemented feasible engineering and work practice controls to achieve the permissible exposure limit for employees who were exposed above the permissible exposure limit for fewer than 30 days per year:    Employees engaged in stainless steel welding for parts and equipment fabrication were exposed to chromium (VI) above permissible exposure limits and the employer did not provide an appropriate respirator. AOSafety brand disposable comfort masks that are not NIOSH-certified were provided for voluntary use.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(g)(2): The employer required respirator use for protection against chromium (VI); however, the employer did not institute a respiratory protection program in accordance with the Respiratory Protection standard, 29 CFR 1910.134, which covers each employee required to use a respirator:      An employee engaged in welding activities during parts and equipment fabrication wore respiratory protection and a written respiratory protection program had not been established.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2): Employee(s) using tight-fitting facepiece respirators were not fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator.    An employee using a 3M 8214 respirator while engaged in stainless steel welding for parts fabrication was not fit tested prior to initial use of the respirator.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 23, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(d)(2)(i): The employer using the scheduled monitoring option did not perform initial monitoring to determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure to chromium (VI) for each employee on the basis of a sufficient number of personal breathing zone air samples to accurately characterize full shift exposure on each shift, for each job classification, in each work area.    The employer did not perform initial monitoring to determine the 8-hour time-weighted average exposure to chromium (VI) of employees welding on stainless steel during parts and equipment fabrication operations.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(e)(2): The employer did not ensure that a regulated area for chromium (VI) was demarcated from the rest of the workplace in a manner that adequately established and alerted employees of the boundaries of the regulated area.    Stainless steel welding activities were performed in the SE corner of the building and the area was not demarcated from the rest of the workplace in a manner that adequately established and alerted employees of the boundaries of the regulated area.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 23, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(1): A hazard was present or was likely to be present from skin or eye contact with chromium (VI); however, the employer did not provide appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment at no cost to employees, and/or did not ensure that employees used such clothing and equipment.    An employee was exposed to chromium (VI) during stainless steel welding for parts fabrication and the employer did not ensure that the employee used appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 23, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(h)(2)(ii): The employer did not ensure that no employee removed chromium (VI)-contaminated protective clothing or equipment from the workplace, except for those employees whose job it was to launder, clean, maintain, or dispose of such clothing or equipment.    An employee was exposed to chromium (VI) above the permissible exposure level and was not prohibited from wearing his street clothing outside of the facility at the end of the work shift. Additionally, the employee removed the contaminated welding jacket from the workplace and took it home to wash it.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 23, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(i)(2): The employer did not ensure that a change room at a worksite with chromium (VI) exposures was equipped with separate storage facilities for protective clothing and equipment and for street clothing.    Employees are exposed to chromium (VI) from stainles steel welding activities and the employer did not ensure that the change room at their worksite was equipped with separate storage facilities for protective clothing and equipment and for street clothing.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

Aug 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $0 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(j)(1)(i): The employer did not ensure that all surfaces were maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of chromium (VI).    The employer did not ensure that the surface of the table of the eating area was maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of chromium (VI). Results of wipe sampling conducted onsite on March 13, 2014 indicated presence of chromium (VI) on the table.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

May 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,500 Reduced

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(2)(i):  the employer did not provide training and information to ensure that employees could demonstrate knowledge of 29 CFR 1910.1026, and the purpose and a description of the medical surveillance program:    An employee engaged in stainless steel welding activities during parts fabrications was exposed to chromium (VI) and was not trained on the content of the standard and the purpose of the medical surveillance program.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

May 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1026(l)(2)(ii): The employer did not make a copy of the Chromium (VI) standard, 29 CFR 1910.1026, readily available to all employees who were exposed to chromium (VI).  An employee engaged in stainless steel welding activities during parts and equipment fabrications was exposed to chromium (VI) and he was not provided a copy of the standard.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

May 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1): The employer did not develop, implement, and/or maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program which describes how the criteria specified in 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g), and (h) will be met.    Employees engaged in parts and equipment fabrication were exposed to hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to, spray paints and primers and welding fumes and the employer did not develop, implement, and maintain a written hazard communication program with at least a description of how the criteria for the following requirements would be met by the company:     a) use of labels and other forms of warning,     b) access to safety data sheets,     c) provision of hazardous chemical information and training to employees,     d) maintenance of an updated list of hazardous chemicals present at the facility,      e) methods the employer will use to inform employees of the hazards of non-routine tasks and hazards associated with chemicals contained in unlabeled pipes in their work areas.     f) methods the employer will use to inform other employers on-site on their  precautionary measures to protect employees during normal operating conditions and in foreseeable emergencies, the labeling system used in the workplace and to provide other employers on-site access to material safety data sheets.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

May 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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.  Employees engaged in parts and equipment fabrication were exposed to hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to, components of spray paints, primers and welding fumes and the employer did not provide the employees with a  hazard communication training that included at least the following: -Information on: a. the requirements of this section; b. any operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals were present, and c. the location and availability of the written hazard communication program, including the required list(s) of hazardous chemicals, and safety data sheets. -Training on: a. methods and observations that may be used to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in their work area; b. the physical, health, simple asphyxiation, combustible dust, and pyrophoric gas hazards, as well as hazards not otherwise classified, of the chemicals in the work area; c. the measures employees can take to protect themselves from these hazards, and  d. the details of the hazard communication program developed by the employer, including the labeling system, safety data sheets and how employees can obtain and use appropriate hazard information.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

May 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(ii): The employer did not select and use a NIOSH-certified respirator in compliance with the conditions of its certification.  Employees engaged in painting during parts and equipment fabrication were exposed to hazardous vapors from spray paints and primers and the employer allowed the voluntary use of AOSafety brand disposable comfort masks that were not NIOSH certified.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 0689

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(iii): The employer did not identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; including a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazards and identification of the contaminant's chemical state and physical form.  The employer did not evaluate the respiratory hazards for employees exposed to vapors of spray paints and primers and were provided with disposable comfort masks that were not NIOSH-certified during parts and equipment fabrication.

Issued

Apr 8, 2014

Abate by

May 2, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(k)(6): The employer did not provide the basic advisory information on respirators, as presented in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, in written or oral format to employees who wear respirators when such use was not required by the employer.  Employees engaged in painting and welding activities during parts and equipment fabrication were voluntarily provided with disposable comfort masks and disposable respirators and the employer did not provide them with the information contained in Appendix D of the Respiratory Protection Standard.