OSHA Inspection: PIQUA CHAMPION FOUNDRY, INC.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Penalty

Initial $3,080 · Current $1,600 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(c)(3): Regardless of height, open-sided floors, walkways, platforms, or runways above or adjacent to dangerous equipment, pickling or galvanizing tanks, degreasing units, and similar hazards were not guarded with a standard railing and toe board.    a) The furnace containing molten iron that was floor level with the furnace deck was not guarded with standard railing to prevent employees from falling in while skimming.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,200 · Current $1,100 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(g)(5)(ii): Where mobile test vans were used to meet the audiometric testing obligation, the employer did not obtain a valid baseline audiogram within 1 year of an employee's first exposure at or above the action level:    a) At least one employee who was operating a grinder and exposed to sound levels of 98.6 dBA for an 8 hour time weighted average had not had a audiogram within a year of the first exposure.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.95(g)(6): At least annually after obtaining the baseline audiogram, the employer did not obtain a new audiogram for each employee exposed at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels :    a) The employer had not performed audiometric testing since 2010 for employees exposed to sound levels of 88.5 dBA and greater for an 8 hour time weighted average while grinding, relining the furnace and operating the wheeabrator.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Oct 15, 2014

Penalty

Initial $1,320 · Current $3,000

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(c)(1)(i): The written program did not contain procedures for selecting respirators for use in the workplace:    a) The employers written respiratory protection program did not include procedure for selection and use of supplied air hooded respirators while grinding and relining the furnace.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Oct 15, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

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:    a) Employees required to wear tight fitting filtering facepiece respirators while assisting with the furnace relining had not been fit tested prior to the initial use.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Jun 29, 2015

Penalty

Initial $3,080 · Current $1,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(c): Employees were exposed to crystalline silica, listed in excess of the 8-hour time weighted average limits of 0.901mg/m3, 0.588 mg/m3, 0.667 mg/m3, 0.926 mg/m3 0.25 mg/m3, 0.156 mg/m3, 0.29 mg/m3, 0.171 mg/m3 and 0.192 mg/m3,  respectively as listed in Table Z-3:    1)  On January 22, 2014 an employee grinding iron castings was exposed to dust containing 9.1% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.901 mg/m3 for silica by 230% during a sample period of 394 minutes.    2)  On January 22, 2014 an employee grinding iron castings was exposed to dust containing 15% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.588 mg/m3 for silica by 328% during a sample period of 402 minutes.    3)  On January 22, 2014 an employee operating the wheelabrater was exposed to dust containing 13% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.677 mg/m3 for silica by 153% during a sample period of 406 minutes.    4)  On January 22, 2014 an employee in the shipping department who also cleaned was exposed to dust containing 8.8% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.926 mg/m3 for silica by 121% during a sample period of 384 minutes.    5)  On March 14, 2014 an employee assisting in the furnace relining was exposed to dust containing 38% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.25 mg/m3 for silica by 168% during a sample period of 349 minutes.    6)  On March 14, 2014 an employee assisting in the furnace relining was exposed to dust containing 62% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.156 mg/m3 for silica by 3,455% during a sample period of 348 minutes.    7)  On March 14, 2014 an employee assisting in the furnace relining was exposed to dust containing 33% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.29 mg/m3 for silica by 276% during a sample period of 351 minutes.    8)  On March 14, 2014 an employee assisting in the furnace relining was exposed to dust containing 56% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.171 mg/m3 by 5,883% during a sample period of 345 minutes.    9)  On March 14, 2014 an employee assisting in the furnace relining was exposed to dust containing 50% crystalline silica which exceeded the PEL of 0.192 mg/m3 by 521% during a sample period of 345 minutes.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Jun 29, 2015

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

Hazardous substances 9010

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1000(e): Feasible administrative or engineering controls were not determined and implemented to achieve compliance with the limits prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.1000(a) through (d):    a) When employees were exposed to silica levels of 230% and 328% of the permissible exposure limit while grinding feasible administrative or engineering controls, such as but not limited to constructing back draft and down draft grinding tables were not used to reduce the exposure to below the permissible exposure limits.    b)  When employees were exposed to silica levels of 153% of the permissible exposure limit while operating the wheelabrator feasible administrative or engineering controls, such as but not limited to lowering the wheelabrator table so it's not waist level and increasing the amount of ventilation were not used to reduce the exposure to below the permissible exposure limit.    c) When employees were exposed to silica levels of 121% of the permissible exposure limit while shipping and cleaning feasible administrative or engineering controls, such as but not limited to eliminating dry sweeping and using an approved HEPA vacuum were not used to reduce the exposure to below the permissible exposure limit.    d)  When employees were exposed to silica between the levels of 168% and 5,883% of the permissible exposure limit while relining the furnace feasible administrative or engineering controls, such as but not limited to using local exhaust ventilation when inside the furnace at all times were not used to reduce the exposure to below the permissible exposure limits.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Aug 14, 2014

Penalty

Initial $1,760 · Current $900 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.1048(n)(1): The employer did not ensure that all employees who were assigned to workplaces where there was exposure to formaldehyde participated in a training program:    a)  The employer had not provided employees who work at core molders and who were exposed to formaldehyde levels of 0.23ppm for an 8-hour time weighted average with formaldehyde training.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Oct 15, 2014

Penalty

Initial $6,160 · Current $3,900 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1): 29 CFR 1910.134(e)(1):  The employer did not provide a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator, before the employee was fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace:      a)  The employer did not ensure that employees who wore air supplied hood respirators while grinding and relining the furnace were provided with a medical evaluation to determine if they were physically able to use the respirator prior to use.    b) The employer did not ensure that employee who were required to wear filtering face piece respirators during the furnace relining process were provided with a medical evaluation to determine if they were physically able to use the respirator prior to use.      Piqua Champion Foundry, Inc. was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFE 1910.134(e)(1), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 313625584, citation number 1, item number 7 and was affirmed as a final order on October 14, 2009.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Oct 15, 2014

Penalty

Initial $4,400 · Current $2,700 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(i)(5)(iv): The employer did not ensure that the compressor(s) used to supply breathing air to respirators had a tag indicating the most recent filter change date and the signature or the person authorized by the employer to perform the change:    a)  The compressors did not contain a tag or other means to identify the most recent filter change date.          Piqua Champion Foundry, Inc. was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFE 1910.134(i)(5)(iv), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 313625584, citation number 1, item number 8a and was affirmed as a final order on October 14, 2009.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Abate by

Oct 15, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.134(i)(7): Oil lubricated compressor(s) used to supply breathing air did not have a high-temperature or carbon monoxide alarm(s) or both:    a)  When a high temperature alarm was used on the compressors the employer did not monitor the breathing air for carbon monoxide.       Piqua Champion Foundry, Inc. was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFE 1910.134(I)(7), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 313625584, citation number 1, item number 8b and was affirmed as a final order on October 14, 2009.

Issued

Jun 27, 2014

Penalty

Initial $3,520 · Current $1,800 Reduced

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:          a) The employer did not train employees on the hazards the chemicals in their work area, including but not limited to, resin based sand, at that time of their initial assignment.          Piqua Champion Foundry, Inc. was previously cited for a violation of this occupational safety and health standard or its equivalent standard 29 CFE 1910.134(h)(1), which was contained in OSHA inspection number 313625584, citation number 1, item number 10 and was affirmed as a final order on October 14, 2009.